Kajsa Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Kajsa

Pronunciation: KYE-sah

Meaning Pure Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#16,039
TREND
5,413

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Kajsa in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Kajsa

  • 406 babies named Kajsa: U.S. records list 406 babies given the name Kajsa from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Kajsa Mean?

Kajsa is a Swedish pet form of Karin, which is a Swedish form of Katarina (Catherine). Katarina goes back through Latin to the Greek Aikaterine. The meaning commonly given for the whole family of names is "pure," and it rests on a link with the Greek adjective katharos ("pure, clean"). That link is probably a later reinterpretation of the name rather than its actual source: early Greek forms such as Aikaterine and Hekaterine are attested alongside it, and a connection with the goddess Hekate has been proposed. The original sense of Aikaterine is therefore uncertain, and "pure" is best described as the customary meaning rather than a secure etymology. The -sa ending in Kajsa is a Swedish familiar suffix added to the shortened stem; it carries no separate meaning of its own.

Kajsa Name History & Origins

Kajsa belongs to a Swedish habit of forming affectionate short forms by keeping the stressed first syllable and adding -sa: Karin became Kajsa, just as Maria became Maja and Kristina became Stina. The j in the spelling records the palatal glide in the Swedish pronunciation of the name.

Karin was a common Swedish woman's name from the Middle Ages onward, carried by the cult of Saint Catherine and by many ordinary bearers. Everyday short forms like Kajsa lived mainly in speech, so they are hard to date in writing; the spelling Cajsa appears in eighteenth-century Sweden, as in the cookbook author Cajsa Warg (1703 - 1769). By the nineteenth century Kajsa was also being written on its own as a given name rather than only used as a nickname.

Kajsa is chiefly Swedish, and it is also found among Swedish speakers in Finland. It is a parallel formation to the Finnish Kaisa, another shortening of Katariina, rather than a borrowing from it. In the twentieth century the name gained a familiar literary face through Astrid Lindgren's children's book Kajsa Kavat (1949), a use that reflects the name's established place in Swedish rather than being its origin.

How Popular is the Name Kajsa?

Kajsa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2010. Its best rank was #6,542 in 1981.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Kajsa Shapes Your Personality and Life?

EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.

You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.

✦ Kajsa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kajsa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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