Kathleen
Say it: KATH-leen/ˈkæθˌlin/
GirlMeans a form of Catherine, whose meaning is uncertain8 letters2 syllables
#352
in Ireland (2025)
#353 with spellings combined
11
babies in 2025
#18
best rank (1965)
6,266
babies since 1964
Down 176
10-year rank change
Kathleen through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | #353 |
| 2024 | 22 | #200 |
| 2023 | 22 | #203 |
| 2022 | 28 | #174 |
| 2021 | 24 | #201 |
| 2020 | 12 | #335 |
| 2019 | 32 | #162 |
| 2018 | 25 | #198 |
| 2017 | 23 | #219 |
| 2016 | 22 | #217 |
| 2015 | 32 | #177 |
| 2014 | 34 | #170 |
| 2013 | 23 | #232 |
| 2012 | 25 | #221 |
| 2011 | 24 | #220 |
| 2010 | 31 | #194 |
| 2009 | 28 | #204 |
| 2008 | 38 | #164 |
| 2007 | 37 | #163 |
| 2006 | 29 | #169 |
| 2005 | 23 | #188 |
| 2004 | 32 | #140 |
| 2003 | 35 | #132 |
| 2002 | 41 | #117 |
| 2001 | 32 | #134 |
| 2000 | 42 | #106 |
| 1999 | 41 | #99 |
| 1998 | 33 | #120 |
| 1997 | 74 | #74 |
| 1996 | 60 | #90 |
| 1995 | 78 | #70 |
| 1994 | 83 | #66 |
| 1993 | 89 | #64 |
| 1992 | 85 | #74 |
| 1991 | 76 | #89 |
| 1990 | 91 | #76 |
| 1989 | 103 | #67 |
| 1988 | 116 | #63 |
| 1987 | 95 | #78 |
| 1986 | 81 | #87 |
| 1985 | 110 | #72 |
| 1984 | 123 | #68 |
| 1983 | 141 | #62 |
| 1982 | 146 | #62 |
| 1981 | 150 | #60 |
| 1980 | 150 | #62 |
| 1979 | 152 | #60 |
| 1978 | 160 | #58 |
| 1977 | 142 | #65 |
| 1976 | 151 | #58 |
| 1975 | 186 | #46 |
| 1974 | 195 | #44 |
| 1973 | 203 | #43 |
| 1972 | 237 | #35 |
| 1971 | 196 | #45 |
| 1970 | 251 | #26 |
| 1969 | 275 | #25 |
| 1968 | 261 | #25 |
| 1967 | 273 | #23 |
| 1966 | 312 | #19 |
| 1965 | 319 | #18 |
| 1964 | 301 | #23 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Kathleen mean?
A form of Catherine, whose meaning is uncertain
English spelling of the Irish Caitlín, which came from the Old French Cateline, a form of Catherine.
Say it right
KATHleen
Not:KATE-leen
The story of Kathleen
Kathleen is the English way of writing the Irish name Caitlín. Caitlín itself came into Irish from Cateline, the Old French form of Catherine. Catherine goes back to the Greek Aikaterine, and nobody is quite sure what that originally meant, so Kathleen has no settled meaning of its own.
The name has deep roots in Irish song and writing. “Kathleen Mavourneen”, a ballad from 1837, was sung for generations. Cathleen Ní Houlihan, another spelling, became a poetic figure standing for Ireland herself, most famously in the 1902 play by W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory.
Kathleen was already a common choice when the CSO records begin. Its best year was 1965, when 319 girls were given the name and it reached number 18. It has grown steadily rarer since then, and in 2025 just 11 girls were named Kathleen.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Kathleen (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Kathleen (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
KateKathyKatie
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Kathleen | 11 | 6,266 |
In Northern Ireland
#334 in 2025 with 4 babies. Best rank #112 (1997); 200 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.