Colleen
Colleen was the 2829th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 60 babies. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1964 (4,546). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,013 places. More babies were named Colleen in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning girl (Irish word) · Irish, American English
Say it kah-LEEN /kɑˈlin/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,829 girls, down 226 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 60girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19644,546 babies
- Total since 1880
- 163,084babies recorded
What does the name Colleen mean?
Colleen is the English word colleen 'girl', from Irish cailín, a diminutive of caile 'girl, country girl'. Wiktionary notes that it was not used as a given name in Ireland; it became one in the US, especially among Irish American families, and was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Wiktionary adds that the spelling Coleen was promoted by Hollywood for a 1920s starlet.
cailín (Irish, “girl”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Coleen, Colene, Kaileen.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Colleen', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'cailín' (Irish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Colleen popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 330 since 1927.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,829 | 60 |
| 2020 | #2,603 | 65 |
| 2010 | #1,198 | 202 |
| 2000 | #455 | 609 |
| 1990 | #160 | 1,808 |
| 1980 | #137 | 2,125 |
| 1970 | #117 | 3,325 |
| 1960 | #107 | 4,450 |
| 1950 | #124 | 2,619 |
| 1940 | #249 | 648 |
| 1930 | #201 | 946 |
| 1920 | #818 | 79 |
| 1910 | #1,278 | 13 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Colleen, counting every spelling?
Colleen is the most common spelling of a name family that had 78 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 78 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleen | 60 | #2,829 | 328 |
| Kollyn | 18 | #6,447 | 67 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Colleen?
60 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Colleen (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Colleen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 140 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Colleen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Colleen?
About 131,100 people born in the US named Colleen are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 44 and 67. That makes Colleen a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Colleen by state
How common Colleen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Colleen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Colleen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Colleen · Sibling names for Colleen
Questions about the name Colleen
What does Colleen mean?
Colleen means “girl (Irish word)” (Irish, American English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Colleen?
Colleen was the 2829th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 60 babies. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1964 (4,546). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,013 places. More babies were named Colleen in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Colleen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Colleen in the US.
Where is Colleen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Colleen was most common in Illinois (0.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and Ohio.