# Cullen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/cullen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkʌlən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 16,703 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 16,591 / 112 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 281, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic cuilinn.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 5 | 11,686 |
| 1989 | 5 | 12,813 |
| 1995 | 7 | 10,761 |
| 1996 | 7 | 10,827 |
| 1997 | 6 | 12,423 |
| 1998 | 7 | 11,390 |
| 2000 | 6 | 13,551 |
| 2009 | 5 | 17,944 |
| 2010 | 6 | 15,410 |
| 2011 | 6 | 15,263 |
| 2012 | 8 | 12,481 |
| 2013 | 8 | 12,256 |
| 2014 | 5 | 17,165 |
| 2015 | 5 | 17,045 |
| 2025 | 6 | 13,590 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 568 | 472 |
| 2012 | 474 | 549 |
| 2013 | 447 | 575 |
| 2014 | 447 | 604 |
| 2015 | 492 | 570 |
| 2016 | 529 | 546 |
| 2017 | 556 | 519 |
| 2018 | 464 | 590 |
| 2019 | 411 | 650 |
| 2020 | 370 | 688 |
| 2021 | 342 | 745 |
| 2022 | 258 | 901 |
| 2023 | 219 | 1,003 |
| 2024 | 189 | 1,127 |
| 2025 | 194 | 1,108 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 18 | 1,342 |
| 2012 | 20 | 1,270 |
| 2013 | 8 | 2,403 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 10 | 2,150 |
| 2016 | 12 | 1,903 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,172 |
| 2018 | 9 | 2,259 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,266 |
| 2020 | 8 | 2,404 |
| 2021 | 12 | 1,860 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,001 |
| 2023 | 5 | 3,523 |
| 2024 | 3 | 5,119 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2,952 |

## People named Cullen

- William Cullen Bryant, American romantic poet and journalist (1794-1878)
- Cullen Jones, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, former world record-holder
- Cullen Moss, American actor
- Cullen Landis, American actor, director (1896–1975)
- Cullen Douglas, American actor and screenwriter
- Patrick Pinney, American actor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.