# Eileen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/eileen/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | Irish |
| Meaning | “radiance”, “beauty” |
| Pronunciation | /aɪˈliːn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Aileen, Eyleen |
| US babies named this | 190,020 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 406 / 189,614 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 691, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Anglicized forms of Irish Eibhlín, Eilín or Aibhilín in Middle English and Modern English, all cognates of Evelyn from Old French Aveline. Sometimes also used for the Irish name Éibhleann, possibly from Old Irish oíph (“radiance, beauty”).

## What it means

Eileen is grouped under beauty.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 369 | 748 |
| 2012 | 324 | 829 |
| 2013 | 360 | 752 |
| 2014 | 391 | 717 |
| 2015 | 408 | 698 |
| 2016 | 390 | 728 |
| 2017 | 421 | 692 |
| 2018 | 439 | 669 |
| 2019 | 413 | 701 |
| 2020 | 401 | 701 |
| 2021 | 440 | 671 |
| 2022 | 476 | 621 |
| 2023 | 444 | 663 |
| 2024 | 511 | 592 |
| 2025 | 437 | 654 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 6 | 3,643 |
| 1957 | 12 | 2,415 |
| 1958 | 8 | 3,108 |
| 1959 | 7 | 3,370 |
| 1960 | 10 | 2,739 |
| 1962 | 5 | 4,229 |
| 1963 | 12 | 2,452 |
| 1964 | 9 | 2,914 |
| 1965 | 7 | 3,333 |
| 1967 | 7 | 3,348 |
| 1968 | 8 | 3,185 |
| 1971 | 7 | 4,098 |
| 1977 | 5 | 6,140 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,330 |
| 1989 | 7 | 6,415 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 1,665 |
| 2012 | 19 | 1,583 |
| 2013 | 28 | 1,220 |
| 2014 | 26 | 1,272 |
| 2015 | 28 | 1,204 |
| 2016 | 28 | 1,211 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,457 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2019 | 24 | 1,316 |
| 2020 | 26 | 1,238 |
| 2021 | 32 | 1,069 |
| 2022 | 40 | 876 |
| 2023 | 40 | 888 |
| 2024 | 43 | 855 |
| 2025 | 44 | 816 |

## People named Eileen

- Eileen Collins, Astronaut and United States Air Force pilot
- Eileen Gu, American-born Chinese freestyle skier (born 2003)
- Eileen Chang, Chinese-born American essayist, novelist, and screenwriter (1920–1995)
- Eileen Heckart, American actress (1919–2001)
- Eileen Brennan, American actress and singer (1932–2013)
- Eileen Atkins, British actress
- Eileen Davidson, American actress
- Eileen Ryan, American actress (1927–2022)
- Eileen Essell, English actress (1922–2015)
- Eileen Agar, British-Argentinian painter, photographer (1899–1991)
- Eileen Bennett Whittingstall, British tennis player
- Eileen Sedgwick, American actress (1898–1991)

## 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.