Cathleen

#9,457 for girls in 2025, 10 births · Last seen for boys in 1964 at #4,039
Given to girls >99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1956 · 1,115 births
Debut · girls
8 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
29,923
since 1896

Cathleen over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Cathleen has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201936peak #251, 1956girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#9,45710—
2024#8,44312—
2023#12,1977—
2022#8,03213—
2021#8,97811—
2020#8,95311—
2019#11,3568—
2018#8,14613—
2017#6,53118—
2016#7,23016—
2015#6,03621—
2014#5,02527—
2013#4,33633—
2012#7,45616—
2011#4,80729—
2010#6,18221—
2009#3,51246—
2008#3,64544—
2007#3,60145—
2006#3,91938—
2005#3,50942—
2004#3,44443—
2003#3,34743—
2002#2,85452—
2001#2,80852—
2000#2,63256—
1999#2,07374—
1998#2,18865—
1997#1,92775—
1996#1,88177—
1995#1,92072—
1994#1,400115—
1993#1,460109—
1992#1,417115—
1991#1,322125—
1990#1,265129—
1989#1,168140—
1988#1,053151—
1987#974162—
1986#906178—
1985#853189—
1984#862177—
1983#860177—
1982#794203—
1981#809197—
1980#840186—
1979#754214—
1978#717220—
1977#621270—
1976#692214—
1975#608261—
1974#527317—
1973#486367—
1972#443428—
1971#401534—
1970#375636—
1969#349670—
1968#363612—
1967#322734—
1966#307831—
1965#301886—
1964#2881,005#4,0395
1963#327822—
1962#322848—
1961#302931—
1960#304950—
1959#2791,016—
1958#2551,159—
1957#2641,071—
1956#2511,115—
1955#2681,008—
1954#287870—
1953#292817#3,7985
1952#272877—
1951#282772—
1950#280759—
1949#285733—
1948#300653—
1947#334568—
1946#405356—
1945#403311—
1944#423287—
1943#534199—
1942#550182—
1941#604136—
1940#645116—
1939#74085—
1938#87564—
1937#88261—
1936#1,03945—
1935#88461—
1934#90557—
1933#97350—
1932#81670—
1931#99549—
1930#97157—
1929#95956—
1928#89667—
1927#1,05753—
1926#86673—
1925#87073—
1924#88073—
1923#82878—
1922#94961—
1921#1,00356—
1920#1,03851—
1919#1,07546—
1918#1,10244—
1917#1,11041—
1916#97949—
1915#1,19033—
1914#1,14728—
1913#1,12024—
1912#91930—
1911#89823—
1910#83127—
1909#1,01516—
1908#1,6767—
1907#1,09213—
1906#89517—
1905#1,16211—
1904#85318—
1903#96913—
1902#81818—
1901#1,6795—
1900#1,7236—
1899#1,1818—
1898——
1897——
1896#1,2138—
1895——
1894——
1893——
1892——
1891——
1890——
1889——
1888——
1887——
1886——
1885——
1884——
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1896

The first year at least five girls were named Cathleen! It came in at #1,213, and was given to 8 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1897–1898, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

Where Cathleen is popular in 1936

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMNIllinois: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedILWisconsin: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedWIMichigan: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMINew York: #521 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 10,238 girlsNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedIAIndiana: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedINOhio: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedOHPennsylvania: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedCTCalifornia: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNEMissouri: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMOKentucky: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedKSArkansas: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: #382 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 4,454 girlsNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedALGeorgia: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedHITexas: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedTXFlorida: fewer than 5 girls named Cathleen, so not publishedFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. North Carolina#382 · 1 in 4,454
  2. New York#521 · 1 in 10,238

Best ever in a state: #64 in Nevada, 1948.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Carolina#38281 in 4,454
New York#52181 in 10,238
Alabama———
Alaska———
Arizona———
Arkansas———
California———
Colorado———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Florida———
Georgia———
Hawaii———
Idaho———
Illinois———
Indiana———
Iowa———
Kansas———
Kentucky———
Louisiana———
Maine———
Maryland———
Massachusetts———
Michigan———
Minnesota———
Mississippi———
Missouri———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Jersey———
New Mexico———
North Dakota———
Ohio———
Oklahoma———
Oregon———
Pennsylvania———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
South Dakota———
Tennessee———
Texas———
Utah———
Vermont———
Virginia———
Washington———
West Virginia———
Wisconsin———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Cathleen
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 1,014 spots since 2024 (#8,443 → #9,457)
  • 504 spots since 2020 (#8,953 → #9,457)
  • 3,421 spots since 2015 (#6,036 → #9,457)
  • Biggest jump: 861 spots in 1902 (#1,679 → #818)
  • Biggest drop: 309 spots in 1905 (#853 → #1,162)
Rise & fade · girls
60 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1896
  • Peaked 1956 at #251 (1,115 births)
  • Births halved by 1971, 15 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 72 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 72 yrs · run 1937–1987
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,736
  • Highest: 1 in 1,736 girls born in 1958 were named Cathleen (0.06%)
  • Latest: 1 in 160,727 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #251 in 1956, was only 1 in 1,801 (0.06%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 31.6% of all girls named Cathleen (9,464) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1890s16#1,181 (1899)#1,197
1900s124#818 (1902)#1,188
1910s345#831 (1910)#1,037
1920s641#828 (1923)#935
1930s599#740 (1939)#908
1940s3,541#285 (1949)#448
1950s9,464#251 (1956)#273
1960s8,289#288 (1964)#319
1970s3,461#375 (1970)#562
1980s1,760#794 (1982)#912
1990s956#1,265 (1990)#1,685
2000s461#2,632 (2000)#3,327
2010s202#4,336 (2013)#6,711
2020s64#8,032 (2022)#9,343

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Cathleen in 1936

girls
#1,039
45 births · 1 in 23,120 girls

Top girls' names in 1936

  1. #1Mary54,377
  2. #2Shirley35,161
  3. #3Barbara31,682
  4. #4Betty25,868
  5. #5Patricia23,916
  6. #6Dorothy17,666
  7. #7Joan17,072
  8. #8Nancy16,755
  9. #9Margaret14,596
  10. #10Carol14,520
  11. #1,039Cathleen45
More about 1936

girls

1,040,390 girls got a published name in 1936; 1 in 23,120 of them was named Cathleen, which outranked 78.6% of the 4,856 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cathleen
  1. #1,022Vickie46
  2. #1,022Waneta46
  3. #1,022Wanita46
  4. #1,039Cathleen45
  5. #1,039Abbie45
  6. #1,039Bonny45
  7. #1,039Elizebeth45
  8. #1,053Delfina44
  9. #1,053Dian44
  10. #1,053Elissa44

Tied with 13 names at #1,039; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,238Shelba#3,742 → #504
  2. ↑ 662Shelby#840 → #178
  3. ↑ 600Wendy#1,418 → #818
  4. ↑ 588Deanna#1,356 → #768
  5. ↑ 546Shari#1,514 → #968
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,028Norita#713 → #1,741
  2. ↓ 506Vernetta#974 → #1,480
  3. ↓ 461Ozella#984 → #1,445
  4. ↓ 400Shirleyann#896 → #1,296
  5. ↓ 342Idell#925 → #1,267

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1936 →