# Kathleen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kathleen/  
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 | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkæθˌlin/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Kathy |
| Variant spellings | Cathleen, Kathlyn |
| US babies named this | 715,336 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,691 / 713,645 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,013, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicization of Caitlín, an Irish equivalent of the English Catherine.

## 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 | 451 | 632 |
| 2012 | 427 | 662 |
| 2013 | 432 | 660 |
| 2014 | 422 | 674 |
| 2015 | 341 | 824 |
| 2016 | 341 | 838 |
| 2017 | 314 | 873 |
| 2018 | 306 | 885 |
| 2019 | 280 | 944 |
| 2020 | 253 | 1,005 |
| 2021 | 262 | 987 |
| 2022 | 228 | 1,097 |
| 2023 | 248 | 1,023 |
| 2024 | 223 | 1,100 |
| 2025 | 201 | 1,156 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 16 | 2,730 |
| 1978 | 17 | 2,611 |
| 1979 | 8 | 4,635 |
| 1980 | 10 | 3,992 |
| 1981 | 14 | 3,131 |
| 1982 | 19 | 2,557 |
| 1983 | 20 | 2,457 |
| 1984 | 25 | 2,129 |
| 1985 | 22 | 2,388 |
| 1986 | 16 | 3,066 |
| 1987 | 20 | 2,680 |
| 1988 | 11 | 4,313 |
| 1989 | 27 | 2,441 |
| 1990 | 14 | 4,085 |
| 1991 | 5 | 8,890 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 54 | 714 |
| 2012 | 48 | 801 |
| 2013 | 59 | 676 |
| 2014 | 55 | 715 |
| 2015 | 47 | 809 |
| 2016 | 39 | 938 |
| 2017 | 58 | 701 |
| 2018 | 40 | 920 |
| 2019 | 32 | 1,063 |
| 2020 | 45 | 807 |
| 2021 | 35 | 983 |
| 2022 | 45 | 796 |
| 2023 | 36 | 962 |
| 2024 | 33 | 1,036 |
| 2025 | 34 | 997 |

## People named Kathleen

- Kathleen Turner, American actress (born 1954)
- Kathleen Kennedy, American film producer (born 1953)
- Kathleen Ferrier, English contralto singer (1912–1953)
- Kathleen Quinlan, American actress
- Kathleen Hanna, American musician and feminist activist
- Kathleen Robertson, Canadian actress
- Kathleen Kenyon, British archaeologist (1906-1978)
- Kathleen McKane Godfree, English badminton and tennis player (1896-1992)
- Kathleen Blanco, American politician (1942–2019)
- Kathleen Freeman, American actress (1919–2001)
- Kathleen Battle, American opera singer
- Kathleen Cavendish, American socialite, sister of John F. Kennedy (1920–1948)

## 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.