Girl nameCurrently #1,109 in the USFalling
Kathleen
kath-LEEN//kæθˈliːn//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19518 lettersStarts with K
Meaning & origin
Pure (Irish form of Katherine)
Kathleen is the Irish form of Katherine, sharing its Greek root meaning pure, and became widely associated with Irish and Irish-American identity in the 20th century. It carries a warm, familiar mid-century charm.
Kathleen's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Kathleen |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 21 |
| 1881 | 13 |
| 1882 | 22 |
| 1883 | 21 |
| 1884 | 27 |
| 1885 | 38 |
| 1886 | 43 |
| 1887 | 50 |
| 1888 | 67 |
| 1889 | 87 |
| 1890 | 105 |
| 1891 | 113 |
| 1892 | 149 |
| 1893 | 170 |
| 1894 | 168 |
| 1895 | 192 |
| 1896 | 259 |
| 1897 | 250 |
| 1898 | 306 |
| 1899 | 230 |
| 1900 | 321 |
| 1901 | 272 |
| 1902 | 325 |
| 1903 | 352 |
| 1904 | 362 |
| 1905 | 386 |
| 1906 | 412 |
| 1907 | 440 |
| 1908 | 527 |
| 1909 | 527 |
| 1910 | 622 |
| 1911 | 663 |
| 1912 | 985 |
| 1913 | 1,179 |
| 1914 | 1,475 |
| 1915 | 1,946 |
| 1916 | 2,162 |
| 1917 | 2,358 |
| 1918 | 2,629 |
| 1919 | 2,587 |
| 1920 | 3,158 |
| 1921 | 3,424 |
| 1922 | 3,466 |
| 1923 | 3,764 |
| 1924 | 3,670 |
| 1925 | 3,514 |
| 1926 | 3,282 |
| 1927 | 3,274 |
| 1928 | 3,166 |
| 1929 | 2,961 |
| 1930 | 3,090 |
| 1931 | 2,812 |
| 1932 | 2,958 |
| 1933 | 3,136 |
| 1934 | 3,302 |
| 1935 | 3,367 |
| 1936 | 3,364 |
| 1937 | 3,758 |
| 1938 | 4,247 |
| 1939 | 4,674 |
| 1940 | 5,723 |
| 1941 | 7,190 |
| 1942 | 10,732 |
| 1943 | 12,186 |
| 1944 | 13,031 |
| 1945 | 13,837 |
| 1946 | 18,793 |
| 1947 | 22,143 |
| 1948 | 23,295 |
| 1949 | 26,413 |
| 1950 | 25,745 |
| 1951 | 26,749 |
| 1952 | 25,805 |
| 1953 | 23,766 |
| 1954 | 22,496 |
| 1955 | 22,049 |
| 1956 | 21,417 |
| 1957 | 19,778 |
| 1958 | 19,253 |
| 1959 | 17,677 |
| 1960 | 16,117 |
| 1961 | 15,420 |
| 1962 | 14,220 |
| 1963 | 13,571 |
| 1964 | 13,260 |
| 1965 | 11,811 |
| 1966 | 10,525 |
| 1967 | 9,242 |
| 1968 | 8,762 |
| 1969 | 8,322 |
| 1970 | 7,432 |
| 1971 | 6,171 |
| 1972 | 5,118 |
| 1973 | 4,269 |
| 1974 | 3,976 |
| 1975 | 3,563 |
| 1976 | 3,421 |
| 1977 | 3,665 |
| 1978 | 3,760 |
| 1979 | 3,649 |
| 1980 | 3,867 |
| 1981 | 3,790 |
| 1982 | 3,968 |
| 1983 | 3,944 |
| 1984 | 4,010 |
| 1985 | 4,108 |
| 1986 | 4,145 |
| 1987 | 4,185 |
| 1988 | 3,938 |
| 1989 | 3,624 |
| 1990 | 3,684 |
| 1991 | 3,376 |
| 1992 | 3,135 |
| 1993 | 2,743 |
| 1994 | 2,429 |
| 1995 | 2,281 |
| 1996 | 2,107 |
| 1997 | 1,742 |
| 1998 | 1,739 |
| 1999 | 1,630 |
| 2000 | 1,585 |
| 2001 | 1,337 |
| 2002 | 1,208 |
| 2003 | 1,096 |
| 2004 | 1,002 |
| 2005 | 934 |
| 2006 | 878 |
| 2007 | 779 |
| 2008 | 704 |
| 2009 | 542 |
| 2010 | 495 |
| 2011 | 451 |
| 2012 | 427 |
| 2013 | 432 |
| 2014 | 422 |
| 2015 | 341 |
| 2016 | 340 |
| 2017 | 314 |
| 2018 | 306 |
| 2019 | 280 |
| 2020 | 253 |
| 2021 | 262 |
| 2022 | 228 |
| 2023 | 248 |
| 2024 | 220 |
Kathleen through the decades
- Kathleen peaked in 1951, when 26,749 babies were named Kathleen in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Kathleen has fallen 54% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Kathleen currently ranks #1,109 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
KathyKate
Variants & spellings
Cathleen