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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201954peak #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 1954

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #14 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 63 girlsAKMaine: #16 for girls · 141 births · 1 in 67 girlsMEVermont: #13 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 56 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #14 for girls · 86 births · 1 in 60 girlsNHWashington: #13 for girls · 400 births · 1 in 71 girlsWAIdaho: #24 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 107 girlsIDMontana: #11 for girls · 107 births · 1 in 64 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #13 for girls · 118 births · 1 in 61 girlsNDMinnesota: #9 for girls · 682 births · 1 in 53 girlsMNIllinois: #11 for girls · 1,576 births · 1 in 63 girlsILWisconsin: #9 for girls · 869 births · 1 in 48 girlsWIMichigan: #14 for girls · 1,359 births · 1 in 65 girlsMINew York: #8 for girls · 2,882 births · 1 in 56 girlsNYMassachusetts: #7 for girls · 1,355 births · 1 in 37 girlsMARhode Island: #7 for girls · 242 births · 1 in 35 girlsRIOregon: #13 for girls · 246 births · 1 in 65 girlsORNevada: #7 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 44 girlsNVWyoming: #13 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 61 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #13 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 61 girlsSDIowa: #18 for girls · 329 births · 1 in 84 girlsIAIndiana: #23 for girls · 443 births · 1 in 110 girlsINOhio: #17 for girls · 1,271 births · 1 in 80 girlsOHPennsylvania: #11 for girls · 2,050 births · 1 in 55 girlsPANew Jersey: #7 for girls · 1,214 births · 1 in 43 girlsNJConnecticut: #11 for girls · 455 births · 1 in 48 girlsCTCalifornia: #11 for girls · 2,098 births · 1 in 68 girlsCAUtah: #9 for girls · 145 births · 1 in 69 girlsUTColorado: #13 for girls · 234 births · 1 in 74 girlsCONebraska: #12 for girls · 235 births · 1 in 61 girlsNEMissouri: #18 for girls · 503 births · 1 in 86 girlsMOKentucky: #50 for girls · 170 births · 1 in 201 girlsKYWest Virginia: #82 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 350 girlsWVVirginia: #47 for girls · 199 births · 1 in 205 girlsVAMaryland: #18 for girls · 328 births · 1 in 86 girlsMDDelaware: #12 for girls · 74 births · 1 in 53 girlsDEArizona: #19 for girls · 109 births · 1 in 108 girlsAZNew Mexico: #26 for girls · 87 births · 1 in 123 girlsNMKansas: #24 for girls · 204 births · 1 in 108 girlsKSArkansas: #104 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 509 girlsARTennessee: #100 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 503 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #111 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 561 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #112 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 490 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #15 for girls · 184 births · 1 in 72 girlsDCOklahoma: #46 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 209 girlsOKLouisiana: #39 for girls · 224 births · 1 in 170 girlsLAMississippi: #146 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 627 girlsMSAlabama: #106 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 503 girlsALGeorgia: #91 for girls · 114 births · 1 in 403 girlsGAHawaii: #10 for girls · 91 births · 1 in 65 girlsHITexas: #53 for girls · 448 births · 1 in 250 girlsTXFlorida: #32 for girls · 253 births · 1 in 149 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Rhode Island#7 · 1 in 35
  2. Massachusetts#7 · 1 in 37
  3. New Jersey#7 · 1 in 43
  4. Nevada#7 · 1 in 44
  5. New York#8 · 1 in 56

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#71,3551 in 37
Nevada#7421 in 44
New Jersey#71,2141 in 43
Rhode Island#72421 in 35
New York#82,8821 in 56
Minnesota#96821 in 53
Utah#91451 in 69
Wisconsin#98691 in 48
Hawaii#10911 in 65
California#112,0981 in 68
Connecticut#114551 in 48
Illinois#111,5761 in 63
Montana#111071 in 64
Pennsylvania#112,0501 in 55
Delaware#12741 in 53
Nebraska#122351 in 61
Colorado#132341 in 74
North Dakota#131181 in 61
Oregon#132461 in 65
South Dakota#131201 in 61
Vermont#13641 in 56
Washington#134001 in 71
Wyoming#13521 in 61
Alaska#14391 in 63
Michigan#141,3591 in 65
New Hampshire#14861 in 60
District of Columbia#151841 in 72
Maine#161411 in 67
Ohio#171,2711 in 80
Iowa#183291 in 84
Maryland#183281 in 86
Missouri#185031 in 86
Arizona#191091 in 108
Indiana#234431 in 110
Idaho#24601 in 107
Kansas#242041 in 108
New Mexico#26871 in 123
Florida#322531 in 149
Louisiana#392241 in 170
Oklahoma#461081 in 209
Virginia#471991 in 205
Kentucky#501701 in 201
Texas#534481 in 250
West Virginia#82601 in 350
Georgia#911141 in 403
Tennessee#100771 in 503
Arkansas#104381 in 509
Alabama#106731 in 503
North Carolina#111921 in 561
South Carolina#112601 in 490
Mississippi#146451 in 627

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 1954

girls
#14
22,455 births · 1 in 86 girls
boys
#1,169
41 births · 1 in 49,726 boys

Top girls' names in 1954

  1. #1Mary68,019
  2. #2Linda55,371
  3. #3Deborah54,674
  4. #4Patricia49,149
  5. #5Susan47,162
  6. #6Debra45,896
  7. #7Barbara36,368
  8. #8Karen32,456
  9. #9Nancy30,270
  10. #10Cynthia27,615
  11. #14Kathleen22,455

Top boys' names in 1954

  1. #1Michael88,568
  2. #2Robert86,331
  3. #3James86,311
  4. #4John81,168
  5. #5David79,556
  6. #6William61,426
  7. #7Richard57,042
  8. #8Thomas47,159
  9. #9Gary37,920
  10. #10Charles37,463
  11. #1,169Kathleen41
More about 1954

girls

1,941,915 girls got a published name in 1954; 1 in 86 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 99.8% of the 6,625 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #11Donna27,429
  2. #12Pamela27,361
  3. #13Sandra26,061
  4. #14Kathleen22,455
  5. #15Carol22,247
  6. #16Sharon22,220
  7. #17Diane22,053
Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,699Sherree#2,699 → #1,000
  2. ↑ 1,434Sabrina#2,236 → #802
  3. ↑ 932Valinda#1,738 → #806
  4. ↑ 748Sheree#1,071 → #323
  5. ↑ 421Sherie#1,248 → #827
Fallers
  1. ↓ 396Enola#948 → #1,344
  2. ↓ 311Ila#782 → #1,093
  3. ↓ 302Nancie#816 → #1,118
  4. ↓ 282Arline#904 → #1,186
  5. ↓ 269Candyce#944 → #1,213

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

boys

2,038,751 boys got a published name in 1954; 1 in 49,726 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 73.2% of the 4,360 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #1,151Samual42
  2. #1,151Sandra42
  3. #1,151Verlin42
  4. #1,169Kathleen41
  5. #1,169Addison41
  6. #1,169Alfonza41
  7. #1,169Brion41
  8. #1,186Amado40
  9. #1,186Brien40
  10. #1,186Denton40

Tied with 16 names at #1,169; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. ↑ 592Ricci#1,331 → #739
  2. ↑ 470Demetrius#1,357 → #887
  3. ↑ 382Crawford#1,378 → #996
  4. ↑ 310Gavin#1,139 → #829
  5. ↑ 296Dino#1,058 → #762
Fallers
  1. ↓ 504Arlin#878 → #1,382
  2. ↓ 347Adan#895 → #1,242
  3. ↓ 345Dayton#966 → #1,311
  4. ↓ 302Garey#966 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 293Bartholomew#975 → #1,268

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

See the top 100 for 1954 →