CD4⁺ recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) comprise a clinically and immunologically important T cell population that indicates thymic output and that is essential for maintaining a diverse αβ–T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of the naive CD4⁺ T cell compartment. However, their frequency and function are poorly understood because no known surface markers distinguish them from older non-RTE naive CD4⁺ T cells. We demonstrate that protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) is a novel marker for human CD4⁺ RTEs. Consistent with their recent thymic origin, human PTK7⁺ RTEs contained higher levels of signal joint TCR gene excision circles and were more responsive to interleukin (IL)-7 compared with PTK7⁻ naive CD4⁺ T cells, and rapidly decreased after complete thymectomy. Importantly, CD4⁺ RTEs proliferated less and produced less IL-2 and interferon-γ than PTK7⁻ naive CD4⁺ T cells after αβ-TCR/CD3 and CD28 engagement. This immaturity in CD4⁺ RTE effector function may contribute to the reduced CD4⁺ T cell immunity observed in contexts in which CD4⁺ RTEs predominate, such as in the fetus and neonate or after immune reconstitution. The ability to identify viable CD4⁺ RTEs by PTK7 staining should be useful for monitoring thymic output in both healthy individuals and in patients with genetic or acquired CD4⁺ T cell immunodeficiencies.