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Cait

Girl name · 9 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Cait: 9 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 3 births in 2000.

Cait is a Scottish Gaelic short form of Catherine, a name of Greek origin from *Aikaterine*, whose precise meaning is debated — popular interpretations include "pure" and, more plausibly, "each of the two." As an independent given name in Scotland since the late 20th century, Cait offers a crisp, elegant alternative to its longer counterpart. One well-known bearer is Irish musician Cait O'Riordan, bassist for The Pogues in the 1980s. The name shares roots with Katherine and appears across many Gaelic-speaking regions, where it's often pronounced to rhyme with "mate" rather than "cat." While no major places bear the name itself, Cait's close relative Caitlin has influenced place-naming trends elsewhere. A notable variant is the Welsh spelling Căt, but Cait remains distinctively Scottish and Irish, prized for its brevity and soft sound.