Colleen
Colleen: name meaning, origin and popularity
Pronunciation (IPA): /kəˈliːn/ · /kɒˈliːn/
Meaning and origin of Colleen
Root meaning: “girl”
- A female given name from English or Irish.
Etymology
From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland. Colleen can also be interpreted as a variant of Coleen, which was a product of marketing by the Hollywood film industry (to promote a new starlet in the 1920s).
How popular is Colleen?
Since 1880, 162,754 girls and 330 boys in the U.S. have been named Colleen (100% girls). Its highest rank for girls was #93 in 1965. Its highest rank for boys was #2228 in 1964. In 2025, 60 babies were given the name, outside the top 1,000.
Names similar to Colleen
Names that start with the same letters, most popular first.
Colleen FAQ
What does the name Colleen mean?
Colleen traces back to a root meaning "girl". A female given name from English or Irish. From the word colleen, from Irish cailín (“girl”), not used as a name in Ireland. Colleen can also be interpreted as a variant of Coleen, which was a product of marketing by the Hollywood film industry (to promote a new starlet in the 1920s).
What is the origin of the name Colleen?
Colleen is listed as a name of English or Irish origin.
How popular is the name Colleen?
Since 1880, 162,754 girls and 330 boys in the U.S. have been named Colleen (100% girls). Its highest rank for girls was #93 in 1965. Its highest rank for boys was #2228 in 1964. In 2025, 60 babies were given the name, outside the top 1,000.
Is Colleen a boy or girl name?
Colleen is mostly a girl name in the U.S.: 162,754 girls and 330 boys since 1880.
Popularity data: U.S. Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025 (names given to 5+ babies per year). Origin and etymology text: Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.