Girl · #6,860 in 2026

Joleen

Name: Popularity of the name Joleen in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Joleen, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

"Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 22, 1973, and then released on January 1974,

English

Current Rank

#6,860

Peak Rank

#754 (1974)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-34%

1925

First Year

2026

Last Year

1974

Peak Year

#754

Peak Rank

Total Count

102

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Joleen

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

Origin & history

According to Parton, the song was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch when they were newly married. In an interview, she also revealed that Jolene's name and appearance are based on those of a young fan who came on stage for her autograph. The real-life namesake may actually be Juline Whelan, noting her first name has always been confused with Jolene. The guitar parts on the recording were performed by Chip Young and Wayne Moss . Young played the primary thumb-picked part, with Moss playing the complementary steel-string part th

The Story of Joleen

Joleen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1925, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1974, when 187 Joleens were born — ranking #754 that year. As of 2026, Joleen ranks #6,860 for baby girls with 16 births, falling sharply (-34%). In total, more than 7K Joleens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Joleen

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Joleen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Joleen

Phonetically similar names — useful when Joleen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joleen

What does the name Joleen mean?

What is the origin of the name Joleen?

Joleen has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Joleen in 2026?

In 2026, Joleen ranks #6,860 among girls' names in the U.S., with 16 babies given the name that year.

When was Joleen most popular?

Joleen reached its peak popularity in 1974, ranking #754 that year with 187 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Joleen most popular?

Joleen has historically been most popular in Iowa, North Dakota, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Joleen.

Is Joleen a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Joleen is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Joleen?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Joleen include Beatrix, Tallulah, Jesica. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Joleen?

Common variants and related forms of Joleen include Jojo, Jolene, Joline. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Joleen

Joleen is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1925 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Joleen's peak popularity came in 1974 when it ranked #754. Use the chart and map above to compare Joleen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.