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Name Lineage

    The first name Colleen

    A girl’s name from Irish meaning “girl”.

    Pronounced /kəˈlin/ 2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Irish origin

    Colleen means “girl” in Irish.

    From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland. Colleen can also be interpreted as a variant of Coleen, which was a product of marketing by the Hollywood film industry (to promote a new starlet in the 1920s).

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    Colleen last appeared in the official list in 2016, given to 4 girls. It peaked in 1996, with 30 births (#753).

    01530 1996200020052010201520202025
    230
    babies named Colleen, 1996–2025
    #4,763
    rank in 2016
    1996
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Colleen with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Colleen at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 60 girls born in the United States were named Colleen, the 2,829th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1964, when 4,546 were.

    02,5005,000 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    163,084
    babies named Colleen since 1880
    #2,829
    rank in 2025
    1964
    peak year

    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 Colleen

    33 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Colleen McCullough
      Australian author (1937-2015)
    • Colleen Hoover
      American author, born 1979
    • Colleen Dewhurst
      Canadian-American actress (1924-1991)
    • Colleen Moore
      American actress (1899–1988)
    • Colleen Ballinger
      American comedian, singer, actress, writer and media personality, born 1986
    • Colleen Camp
      American actress and film producer, born 1953
    • Colleen Atwood
      American costume designer, born 1948
    • Colleen Miller
      American actress, born 1932
    • Colleen Hanabusa
      American politician (1951-2026)
    • Colleen Brennan
      American pornographic actress (born 1949)
    • Colleen Haskell
      American reality television contestant, born 1976
    • Colleen Clinkenbeard
      American voice actress, born 1980

    More Irish girls’ names

    All 142 names of Irish origin

    Questions

    What does the name Colleen mean?
    Colleen means “girl” in Irish.
    What is the origin of the name Colleen?
    From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland. Colleen can also be interpreted as a variant of Coleen, which was a product of marketing by the Hollywood film industry (to promote a new starlet in the 1920s).
    How popular is the name Colleen?
    In 2016, 4 girls born in England and Wales were named Colleen, ranking 4,763rd. Its peak was 1996, with 30 births.
    Is Colleen a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 163,084 US babies named Colleen since 1880 were girls.
    When was Colleen most popular?
    1964 in the United States, when 4,546 babies were named Colleen, its highest rank at 94th.
    How do you pronounce Colleen?
    Colleen is /kəˈlin/, 2 syllables.