Caoilainn: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Caoilainn is an Irish girl's name meaning “slender and fair.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Slender and fair
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Keelin, Kalin
How do you pronounce Caoilainn?
Caoilainn is pronounced KAY-linn. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Caoilainn mean?
Caol “slender” and fionn “white, fair, pure.” Several saints were Caoilainn and one was described as “a pious lady who quickly won the esteem and affection of her sister nuns by her exactness to every duty, as also by her sweet temper, gentle, confiding disposition and unaffected piety”.
How popular is Caoilainn in Ireland?
Caoilainn wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2019, when 5 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 2005, when 12 baby girls were named Caoilainn, No. 300 that year. The most babies got the name in 2012: 16. It first appears in the records in 1997, with 4 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 | No. 621 |
| 2018 | 5 | No. 629 |
| 2017 | 4 | No. 734 |
| 2016 | 3 | No. 868 |
| 2015 | 5 | No. 660 |
| 2014 | 10 | No. 427 |
| 2013 | 6 | No. 587 |
| 2012 | 16 | No. 317 |
| 2010 | 7 | No. 555 |
| 2009 | 5 | No. 641 |
| 2008 | 7 | No. 546 |
| 2007 | 10 | No. 404 |
| 2006 | 8 | No. 431 |
| 2005 | 12 | No. 300 |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 606 |
| 1999 | 3 | No. 528 |
| 1998 | 5 | No. 380 |
| 1997 | 4 | No. 496 |
Caoilainn in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Caoilainn, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- AAilm, pine
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Caoilainn
Questions about Caoilainn
- How do you pronounce Caoilainn?
- Caoilainn is pronounced KAY-linn. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Caoilainn mean?
- Caoilainn means “slender and fair.”
- Is Caoilainn a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Caoilainn is a girl's name.
- What is Caoilainn in English?
- The English forms of Caoilainn are Keelin and Kalin.