Kathleen

#1,150 for girls in 2025, 201 births · Last seen for boys in 1991 at #8,236
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1949 · 26,357 births
Debut · girls
21 births
In top 100 · girls
72 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
713,645
since 1880

Kathleen over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201930peak #9, 1949girls
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#1,150201—
2024#1,099223—
2023#1,018248—
2022#1,095228—
2021#987262—
2020#1,004253—
2019#944280—
2018#883306—
2017#870314—
2016#838341—
2015#823341—
2014#674422—
2013#660432—
2012#661427—
2011#630451—
2010#594495—
2009#563542—
2008#448704—
2007#422779—
2006#371878—
2005#339934—
2004#3161,002—
2003#2841,096—
2002#2621,208—
2001#2361,337—
2000#2041,585—
1999#1921,630—
1998#1711,739—
1997#1751,742—
1996#1522,107—
1995#1392,280—
1994#1302,430—
1993#1182,742—
1992#1083,135—
1991#1023,371#8,2365
1990#923,670#3,97114
1989#903,596#2,41627
1988#753,927#4,16211
1987#724,165#2,64120
1986#684,129#3,00516
1985#684,087#2,35722
1984#713,985#2,09825
1983#733,923#2,40820
1982#773,949#2,51819
1981#823,776#3,03014
1980#823,857#3,83810
1979#843,641#4,4038
1978#793,743#2,56817
1977#803,649#2,66516
1976#823,405#2,70915
1975#803,545#2,36118
1974#763,953#1,93423
1973#684,250#2,12419
1972#575,097#1,92822
1971#536,154#2,27917
1970#457,410#1,84723
1969#428,299#1,68024
1968#408,729#1,33933
1967#409,209#1,36431
1966#3710,491#1,32733
1965#3411,778#1,33533
1964#3013,231#1,48728
1963#2813,547#1,45529
1962#2914,188#1,42330
1961#2915,395#1,55227
1960#2716,085#1,40032
1959#2317,629#1,11748
1958#2119,205#1,08150
1957#2119,742#1,30036
1956#1721,377#1,20340
1955#1722,014#1,31333
1954#1422,455#1,16941
1953#1423,731#1,26135
1952#1125,767#1,19538
1951#1026,716#1,27933
1950#1025,706#1,12340
1949#926,357#92356
1948#1023,257#1,16038
1947#1122,095#1,03648
1946#1618,760#1,21733
1945#1913,802#1,10335
1944#2013,004#1,28227
1943#2212,153#1,18733
1942#2410,696#1,13936
1941#367,160#1,20930
1940#405,697#1,31126
1939#484,656#1,57818
1938#584,228#1,55919
1937#613,743#1,82815
1936#673,352#2,06212
1935#713,353#1,92914
1934#743,279#1,42523
1933#773,121#1,82915
1932#832,945#2,10113
1931#872,799#2,10113
1930#843,074#1,88916
1929#892,941#1,67220
1928#823,151#2,04815
1927#833,265#2,9129
1926#833,277#4,2015
1925#813,503#2,58811
1924#763,663#3,5057
1923#703,754#2,77210
1922#803,466—
1921#833,419#4,3225
1920#913,158—
1919#1012,587—
1918#992,629—
1917#1012,358—
1916#1042,154#2,9268
1915#1041,940#3,3926
1914#1101,475—
1913#1101,179—
1912#118985—
1911#126663—
1910#131622—
1909#135527—
1908#132527—
1907#149440—
1906#143412—
1905#152386—
1904#147362—
1903#149352—
1902#159325—
1901#169272—
1900#170321—
1899#184230—
1898#163306—
1897#173250—
1896#169259—
1895#196192—
1894#205168—
1893#196170—
1892#208149—
1891#227113—
1890#239105—
1889#25187—
1888#28667—
1887#30250—
1886#31843—
1885#32938—
1884#38527—
1883#41121—
1882#37722—
1881#47013—
1880#35221—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Kathleen was already there! It came in at #352, and was given to 21 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1881, when fewer than 14 girls a year got the name.

Where Kathleen is popular in 1930

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Kathleen, so not publishedAKMaine: #55 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 179 girlsMEVermont: #60 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 195 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #84 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 315 girlsNHWashington: #59 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 249 girlsWAIdaho: #89 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 345 girlsIDMontana: #73 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 249 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #65 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 246 girlsNDMinnesota: #53 for girls · 88 births · 1 in 222 girlsMNIllinois: #88 for girls · 142 births · 1 in 403 girlsILWisconsin: #54 for girls · 112 births · 1 in 216 girlsWIMichigan: #58 for girls · 181 births · 1 in 232 girlsMINew York: #57 for girls · 416 births · 1 in 230 girlsNYMassachusetts: #60 for girls · 130 births · 1 in 244 girlsMARhode Island: #87 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 371 girlsRIOregon: #66 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 262 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Kathleen, so not publishedNVWyoming: #46 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 168 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #84 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 332 girlsSDIowa: #64 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 268 girlsIAIndiana: #97 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 465 girlsINOhio: #80 for girls · 156 births · 1 in 334 girlsOHPennsylvania: #76 for girls · 252 births · 1 in 326 girlsPANew Jersey: #76 for girls · 89 births · 1 in 330 girlsNJConnecticut: #79 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 333 girlsCTCalifornia: #78 for girls · 107 births · 1 in 348 girlsCAUtah: #93 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 342 girlsUTColorado: #90 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 333 girlsCONebraska: #107 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 455 girlsNEMissouri: #108 for girls · 58 births · 1 in 482 girlsMOKentucky: #57 for girls · 114 births · 1 in 240 girlsKYWest Virginia: #62 for girls · 69 births · 1 in 266 girlsWVVirginia: #88 for girls · 74 births · 1 in 325 girlsVAMaryland: #80 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 306 girlsMDDelaware: #75 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 255 girlsDEArizona: #216 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 877 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Kathleen, so not publishedNMKansas: #70 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 322 girlsKSArkansas: #135 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 542 girlsARTennessee: #130 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 548 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #77 for girls · 111 births · 1 in 319 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #93 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 367 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #88 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 381 girlsDCOklahoma: #116 for girls · 48 births · 1 in 495 girlsOKLouisiana: #149 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 605 girlsLAMississippi: #172 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 712 girlsMSAlabama: #115 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 468 girlsALGeorgia: #138 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 607 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Kathleen, so not publishedHITexas: #248 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 1,215 girlsTXFlorida: #153 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 636 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Wyoming#46 · 1 in 168
  2. Minnesota#53 · 1 in 222
  3. Wisconsin#54 · 1 in 216
  4. Maine#55 · 1 in 179
  5. New York#57 · 1 in 230

Best ever in a state: #3 in North Dakota, 1950.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Wyoming#4691 in 168
Minnesota#53881 in 222
Wisconsin#541121 in 216
Maine#55361 in 179
Kentucky#571141 in 240
New York#574161 in 230
Michigan#581811 in 232
Washington#59381 in 249
Massachusetts#601301 in 244
Vermont#60131 in 195
West Virginia#62691 in 266
Iowa#64701 in 268
North Dakota#65241 in 246
Oregon#66201 in 262
Kansas#70441 in 322
Montana#73151 in 249
Delaware#7561 in 255
New Jersey#76891 in 330
Pennsylvania#762521 in 326
North Carolina#771111 in 319
California#781071 in 348
Connecticut#79341 in 333
Maryland#80411 in 306
Ohio#801561 in 334
New Hampshire#84101 in 315
South Dakota#84171 in 332
Rhode Island#87131 in 371
District of Columbia#8891 in 381
Illinois#881421 in 403
Virginia#88741 in 325
Idaho#89101 in 345
Colorado#90251 in 333
South Carolina#93541 in 367
Utah#93141 in 342
Indiana#97541 in 465
Nebraska#107241 in 455
Missouri#108581 in 482
Alabama#115641 in 468
Oklahoma#116481 in 495
Tennessee#130491 in 548
Arkansas#135351 in 542
Georgia#138501 in 607
Louisiana#149351 in 605
Florida#153191 in 636
Mississippi#172311 in 712
Arizona#21651 in 877
Texas#248491 in 1,215
Alaska———
Hawaii———
Nevada———
New Mexico———

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 Kathleen
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 51 spots since 2024 (#1,099 → #1,150)
  • 146 spots since 2020 (#1,004 → #1,150)
  • 327 spots since 2015 (#823 → #1,150)
  • Biggest jump: 93 spots in 1882 (#470 → #377)
  • Biggest drop: 149 spots in 2015 (#674 → #823)
Rise & fade · girls
69 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1949 at #9 (26,357 births)
  • Births halved by 1965, 16 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 4 yrs
  • Top 10: 4 yrs · run 1948–1951
  • Top 100: 72 yrs · run 1920–1990
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2019
Share of babies · girls
1 in 65
  • Highest: 1 in 65 girls born in 1949 were named Kathleen (1.5%)
  • Latest: 1 in 7,996 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 31.4% of all girls named Kathleen (224,342) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s389#251 (1889)#348
1890s1,942#163 (1898)#196
1900s3,924#132 (1908)#151
1910s16,592#99 (1918)#110
1920s33,597#70 (1923)#82
1930s34,550#48 (1939)#71
1940s152,981#9 (1949)#21
1950s224,342#10 (1951)#16
1960s120,952#27 (1960)#34
1970s44,847#45 (1970)#70
1980s39,394#68 (1986)#76
1990s24,846#92 (1990)#138
2000s10,065#204 (2000)#345
2010s3,809#594 (2010)#758
2020s1,415#987 (2021)#1,059

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.

Kathleen in 1930

girls
#84
3,074 births · 1 in 366 girls
boys
#1,889
16 births · 1 in 68,586 boys

Top girls' names in 1930

  1. #1Mary64,153
  2. #2Betty38,240
  3. #3Dorothy30,411
  4. #4Helen19,913
  5. #5Margaret18,350
  6. #6Barbara18,279
  7. #7Patricia15,751
  8. #8Joan15,478
  9. #9Doris15,464
  10. #10Ruth14,942
  11. #84Kathleen3,074

Top boys' names in 1930

  1. #1Robert62,153
  2. #2James53,957
  3. #3John52,447
  4. #4William47,271
  5. #5Richard32,187
  6. #6Charles31,867
  7. #7Donald29,052
  8. #8George22,788
  9. #9Joseph20,981
  10. #10Edward17,352
  11. #1,889Kathleen16
More about 1930

girls

1,125,927 girls got a published name in 1930; 1 in 366 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 98.4% of the 5,247 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #81Joanne3,154
  2. #82Rosemary3,151
  3. #83Anne3,091
  4. #84Kathleen3,074
  5. #85Katherine3,033
  6. #86Eva3,019
  7. #87Willie3,018
Biggest movers since 1929
Risers
  1. ↑ 701Claudette#1,642 → #941
  2. ↑ 583Ardeth#1,212 → #629
  3. ↑ 445Julianne#1,339 → #894
  4. ↑ 376Sonja#1,223 → #847
  5. ↑ 374Armida#1,174 → #800
Fallers
  1. ↓ 348Ingrid#941 → #1,289
  2. ↓ 315Coralie#895 → #1,210
  3. ↓ 229Elenor#981 → #1,210
  4. ↓ 229Mammie#981 → #1,210
  5. ↓ 226Sibyl#902 → #1,128

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

boys

1,097,378 boys got a published name in 1930; 1 in 68,586 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 58.4% of the 4,542 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #1,821Wells17
  2. #1,821Xavier17
  3. #1,821Ygnacio17
  4. #1,889Kathleen16
  5. #1,889Abbie16
  6. #1,889Alger16
  7. #1,889Apolinar16
  8. #1,964Adelard15
  9. #1,964Alberta15
  10. #1,964Aram15

Tied with 74 names at #1,889; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1929
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,094Derl#3,959 → #865
  2. ↑ 420Clive#1,378 → #958
  3. ↑ 380Farris#1,272 → #892
  4. ↑ 368Earlie#1,296 → #928
  5. ↑ 357Winton#1,272 → #915
Fallers
  1. ↓ 486Americo#729 → #1,215
  2. ↓ 433Enrico#995 → #1,428
  3. ↓ 371Eliseo#844 → #1,215
  4. ↓ 312Meyer#878 → #1,190
  5. ↓ 304Hilbert#869 → #1,173

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

See the top 100 for 1930 →