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I have to say that I have some love for it, because back when I was pregnant with my son in 1986, I considered Caitlin if it was a girl. As much as I criticize people for not knowing/not caring about a name's popularity, I have to admit that I was unaware at that time that Caitlin had entered the top hundred the year before. And I was completely unaware that the most popular spelling variant, Katelyn, even existed. The two spellings combined add up to a greater level of popularity than looking at the statistics for each separately indicates.

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So of course it wasn't a girl and I had a feeling it wouldn't be, and when I gave birth to my son we still hadn't definitely decided on a girl's name. I like to think we wouldn't have chosen Caitlin if it had been a girl, as I'd be cringing about that now. (Yes, I would. My sister has a sixteen-year-old daughter named Kaylin and she cringes about her name.)

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But I'd be cringing because Caitlin / Katelyn / other spelling variants are so ubiquitous and now dated, not because of the name itself. I liked it enough to consider it then, so I have to think my negative reaction to the name now is only because of the ubiquity already mentioned, and that somewhere buried underneath that, I still like the name.

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I've never thought of a nickname for it. I suppose I like Cait. Caitlin is the only spelling I'd use.