Kathleen
Kathleen is a female given name, used in English- and Irish-language communities. Sometimes spelled Cathleen, it is an Anglicized form of Caitlín, the Irish form of Cateline, which was the Old French form of Catherine. It ultimately derives from the Greek name Aikaterine, the meaning of which is highly debated.
Meaning & Origin of Kathleen
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kathleen is a female given name, used in English- and Irish-language communities. Sometimes spelled Cathleen, it is an Anglicized form of Caitlín, the Irish form of Cateline, which was the Old French form of Catherine. It ultimately derives from the Greek name Aikaterine, the meaning of which is highly debated.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Kathleen
Kathleen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 21 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1951, when 26,716 Kathleens were born — ranking #10 that year. As of 2026, Kathleen ranks #1,111 for baby girls with 218 births, falling sharply (-20%). In total, more than 714K Kathleens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kathleen
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kathleen 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 Kathleen
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About the name Kathleen
Kathleen is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 714K births in the dataset. Kathleen's peak popularity came in 1951 when it ranked #9. Use the chart and map above to compare Kathleen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1951 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.