The first name Kathleen
A girl’s name from Irish.
Pronounced /ˈkæθˌlin/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Irish origin
Anglicization of Caitlín, an Irish equivalent of the English Catherine.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 34 girls were named Kathleen, making it the 997th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 179 births (#227).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Kathleen with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Kathleen at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 201 girls born in the United States were named Kathleen, the 1,156th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1951, when 26,716 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.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Kathleen
107 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Kathleen TurnerAmerican actress (born 1954)
- Kathleen KennedyAmerican film producer (born 1953)
- Kathleen FerrierEnglish contralto singer (1912–1953)
- Kathleen QuinlanAmerican actress, born 1954
- Kathleen HannaAmerican musician and feminist activist, born 1968
- Kathleen RobertsonCanadian actress, born 1973
- Kathleen KenyonBritish archaeologist (1906-1978)
- Kathleen McKane GodfreeEnglish badminton and tennis player (1896-1992)
- Kathleen BlancoAmerican politician (1942–2019)
- Kathleen FreemanAmerican actress (1919–2001)
- Kathleen BattleAmerican opera singer, born 1948
- Kathleen CavendishAmerican socialite, sister of John F. Kennedy (1920–1948)
More Irish girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Kathleen mean?
- Anglicization of Caitlín, an Irish equivalent of the English Catherine.
- What is the origin of the name Kathleen?
- Anglicization of Caitlín, an Irish equivalent of the English Catherine.
- How popular is the name Kathleen?
- In 2025, 34 girls born in England and Wales were named Kathleen, ranking 997th. Its peak was 1996, with 179 births.
- What are nicknames for Kathleen?
- Common nicknames for Kathleen include Kathy.
- Is Kathleen a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 715,336 US babies named Kathleen since 1880 were girls.
- When was Kathleen most popular?
- 1951 in the United States, when 26,716 babies were named Kathleen, its highest rank at 10th.
- How do you pronounce Kathleen?
- Kathleen is /ˈkæθˌlin/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Kathleen?
- Cathleen and Kathlyn.