The first name Cathleen
A girl’s name from Irish.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Irish origin
A female given name from Irish, a less common spelling of Kathleen.
A form of Kathleen.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Cathleen last appeared in the official list in 2015, given to 3 girls. It peaked in 2000, with 4 births (#3,247).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Cathleen with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Cathleen at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 10 girls born in the United States were named Cathleen, the 9,581st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1958, when 1,159 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Cathleen
8 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Cathleen Synge MorawetzCanadian mathematician (1923–2017)
- Cathleen NesbittBritish actress (1888-1982)
- Cathleen TschirchGerman athlete and athletics coach, born 1979
- Cathleen MartiniGerman bobsledder, born 1982
- Cathleen SchineAmerican writer, born 1953
- Bo DerekAmerican actress, born 1956
- Margo HarshmanAmerican actress, born 1986
- Audrina PatridgeAmerican reality television star, born 1985
More Irish girls’ names
Questions
- What is the origin of the name Cathleen?
- Cathleen comes from Irish.
- How popular is the name Cathleen?
- In 2015, 3 girls born in England and Wales were named Cathleen, ranking 5,730th. Its peak was 2000, with 4 births.
- Is Cathleen a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 29,933 US babies named Cathleen since 1880 were girls.
- When was Cathleen most popular?
- 1958 in the United States, when 1,159 babies were named Cathleen, its highest rank at 255th.
- What name is Cathleen a form of?
- Cathleen is a form of Kathleen.