Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1964

Colleen

Meaning girl Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,829 Trend ↓ Falling 15%

From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland.

Rank 2025
#2,829
among girls · ↓26 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
60
named Colleen
How common
1 in 26,788
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1964
4,560 babies
All-time total
163,084
#247 all-time among girls
First recorded
1901
in Social Security records

Colleen popularity over time

163,084 babies have been named Colleen since 1901, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s 72 – 72 7 – #967
1910s 413 – 413 41 +474% #826
1920s 6,080 6 6,086 609 +1374% #185
1930s 7,428 12 7,440 744 +22% #198
1940s 10,473 5 10,478 1,048 +41% #146
1950s 35,913 32 35,945 3,595 +243% #108
1960s 40,673 89 40,762 4,076 +13% #93
1970s 23,759 86 23,845 2,385 -42% #117
1980s 19,468 94 19,562 1,956 -18% #137
1990s 12,927 – 12,927 1,293 -34% #160
2000s 3,881 6 3,887 389 -70% #439
2010s 1,274 – 1,274 127 -67% #1,198
2020s (to 2025) 393 – 393 66 -49% #2,246

Where Colleen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 58 0.04 outside top 500
2027 56 0.03 outside top 500
2028 54 0.03 outside top 500
2029 53 0.03 outside top 500
2030 52 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Colleen

Colleen is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,829 in 2025 with 60 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1901, 163,084 American babies have been named Colleen. Its peak came in 1964, when 4,560 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Colleen stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Colleen?

The median living Colleen is about 58 years old; half are between 44 and 67. An estimated 136 thousand people named Colleen are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Colleen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 60 #2,829 – –
2024 60 #2,803 – –
2023 83 #2,246 – –
2022 60 #2,827 – –
2021 65 #2,648 – –
2020 65 #2,603 – –
2019 95 #2,015 – –
2018 89 #2,134 – –
2017 104 #1,932 – –
2016 102 #1,961 – –
2015 115 #1,816 – –
2014 116 #1,775 – –
2013 149 #1,489 – –
2012 148 #1,504 – –
2011 154 #1,458 – –
2010 202 #1,198 – –
2009 215 #1,167 – –
2008 226 #1,138 – –
2007 244 #1,078 – –
2006 296 #897 – –
2005 340 #775 6 #10,345
2004 382 #702 – –
2003 433 #620 – –
2002 500 #548 – –
2001 636 #439 – –
2000 609 #455 – –
1995 1,257 #224 – –
1990 1,808 #160 – –
1985 1,954 #150 15 #3,099
1980 2,125 #137 14 #3,125
1975 2,100 #133 11 #3,280
1970 3,325 #117 13 #2,645
1965 4,028 #93 11 #2,500
1960 4,450 #107 7 #3,395
1955 3,870 #110 – –
1950 2,619 #124 – –
1945 812 #233 5 #3,404
1940 648 #249 – –
1935 672 #242 – –
1930 946 #201 – –
1925 696 #252 – –
1920 79 #818 – –
1915 52 #917 – –
1910 13 #1,278 – –
1905 6 #1,746 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Colleen

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Colleen Camp Colleen Camp American actress and film producer (born 1953) Contemporary
  2. 2 Colleen Ballinger Colleen Ballinger American comedian and social media personality (born 1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Dewhurst Canadian-American actress (1924–1991) Contemporary
  4. 4 Colleen McCullough Colleen McCullough Australian author (1937–2015) Contemporary
  5. 5 Colleen Moore Colleen Moore American actress (1899–1988) 19th century
  6. 6 Colleen Atwood American costume designer (born 1948) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Colleen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Colleen?

The median living Colleen is about 58 years old. Half of all living Colleens are between 44 and 67 years old.

How many people named Colleen are alive today?

An estimated 136 thousand people named Colleen are alive in the United States, based on 163,084 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Colleen mean?

From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland.

How popular is the name Colleen in 2025?

Colleen ranked #2,829 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 60 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Colleen?

163,084 babies have been named Colleen in the United States since 1901, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Colleen most popular?

Colleen peaked in 1964, when 4,560 newborns received the name.

Is Colleen a boy or girl name?

Colleen is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Colleen rising or falling?

Colleen is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Colleen become more popular?

Colleen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 52 girls named Colleen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Colleen?

Well-known people named Colleen include Colleen Camp (actor), Colleen Ballinger (actor), Colleen Dewhurst (actor).

Names like Colleen

Names that sound and feel close to Colleen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Colleen with similar names → More names starting with C →