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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201962peak #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 1962

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #45 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 150 girlsAKMaine: #33 for girls · 80 births · 1 in 124 girlsMEVermont: #19 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 79 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #13 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 71 girlsNHWashington: #33 for girls · 211 births · 1 in 132 girlsWAIdaho: #44 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 172 girlsIDMontana: #30 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 115 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #38 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 144 girlsNDMinnesota: #21 for girls · 353 births · 1 in 107 girlsMNIllinois: #21 for girls · 1,016 births · 1 in 101 girlsILWisconsin: #13 for girls · 511 births · 1 in 83 girlsWIMichigan: #26 for girls · 750 births · 1 in 109 girlsMINew York: #11 for girls · 2,153 births · 1 in 76 girlsNYMassachusetts: #8 for girls · 929 births · 1 in 55 girlsMARhode Island: #12 for girls · 134 births · 1 in 58 girlsRIOregon: #32 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 128 girlsORNevada: #28 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 95 girlsNVWyoming: #58 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 183 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #51 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 197 girlsSDIowa: #38 for girls · 193 births · 1 in 142 girlsIAIndiana: #51 for girls · 239 births · 1 in 203 girlsINOhio: #34 for girls · 789 births · 1 in 125 girlsOHPennsylvania: #12 for girls · 1,314 births · 1 in 79 girlsPANew Jersey: #9 for girls · 890 births · 1 in 64 girlsNJConnecticut: #10 for girls · 367 births · 1 in 65 girlsCTCalifornia: #27 for girls · 1,341 births · 1 in 129 girlsCAUtah: #77 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 278 girlsUTColorado: #46 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 183 girlsCONebraska: #33 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 119 girlsNEMissouri: #43 for girls · 283 births · 1 in 150 girlsMOKentucky: #103 for girls · 71 births · 1 in 434 girlsKYWest Virginia: #108 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 448 girlsWVVirginia: #73 for girls · 145 births · 1 in 277 girlsVAMaryland: #25 for girls · 251 births · 1 in 117 girlsMDDelaware: #18 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 81 girlsDEArizona: #42 for girls · 90 births · 1 in 171 girlsAZNew Mexico: #55 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 210 girlsNMKansas: #50 for girls · 98 births · 1 in 202 girlsKSArkansas: #118 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 518 girlsARTennessee: #153 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 757 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #169 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 851 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #131 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 577 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #21 for girls · 115 births · 1 in 114 girlsDCOklahoma: #120 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 468 girlsOKLouisiana: #69 for girls · 144 births · 1 in 264 girlsLAMississippi: #189 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 883 girlsMSAlabama: #173 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 855 girlsALGeorgia: #132 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 575 girlsGAHawaii: #17 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 116 girlsHITexas: #110 for girls · 236 births · 1 in 468 girlsTXFlorida: #63 for girls · 186 births · 1 in 265 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Massachusetts#8 · 1 in 55
  2. New Jersey#9 · 1 in 64
  3. Connecticut#10 · 1 in 65
  4. New York#11 · 1 in 76
  5. Rhode Island#12 · 1 in 58

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#89291 in 55
New Jersey#98901 in 64
Connecticut#103671 in 65
New York#112,1531 in 76
Pennsylvania#121,3141 in 79
Rhode Island#121341 in 58
New Hampshire#13781 in 71
Wisconsin#135111 in 83
Hawaii#17551 in 116
Delaware#18541 in 81
Vermont#19431 in 79
District of Columbia#211151 in 114
Illinois#211,0161 in 101
Minnesota#213531 in 107
Maryland#252511 in 117
Michigan#267501 in 109
California#271,3411 in 129
Nevada#28291 in 95
Montana#30541 in 115
Oregon#321201 in 128
Maine#33801 in 124
Nebraska#331201 in 119
Washington#332111 in 132
Ohio#347891 in 125
Iowa#381931 in 142
North Dakota#38431 in 144
Arizona#42901 in 171
Missouri#432831 in 150
Idaho#44351 in 172
Alaska#45181 in 150
Colorado#461051 in 183
Kansas#50981 in 202
Indiana#512391 in 203
South Dakota#51341 in 197
New Mexico#55551 in 210
Wyoming#58141 in 183
Florida#631861 in 265
Louisiana#691441 in 264
Virginia#731451 in 277
Utah#77381 in 278
Kentucky#103711 in 434
West Virginia#108361 in 448
Texas#1102361 in 468
Arkansas#118341 in 518
Oklahoma#120441 in 468
South Carolina#131441 in 577
Georgia#132761 in 575
Tennessee#153471 in 757
North Carolina#169561 in 851
Alabama#173391 in 855
Mississippi#189281 in 883

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 1962

girls
#29
14,188 births · 1 in 139 girls
boys
#1,423
30 births · 1 in 68,959 boys

Top girls' names in 1962

  1. #1Lisa46,069
  2. #2Mary43,502
  3. #3Susan35,752
  4. #4Karen35,184
  5. #5Linda31,461
  6. #6Patricia26,532
  7. #7Donna25,719
  8. #8Cynthia24,025
  9. #9Deborah22,889
  10. #10Sandra22,420
  11. #29Kathleen14,188

Top boys' names in 1962

  1. #1Michael85,059
  2. #2David81,337
  3. #3John78,427
  4. #4James72,555
  5. #5Robert70,199
  6. #6Mark53,520
  7. #7William44,853
  8. #8Richard39,422
  9. #9Thomas36,529
  10. #10Jeffrey33,537
  11. #1,423Kathleen30
More about 1962

girls

1,966,603 girls got a published name in 1962; 1 in 139 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 99.6% of the 7,584 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #26Diane14,823
  2. #27Kathy14,757
  3. #28Carol14,523
  4. #29Kathleen14,188
  5. #30Denise13,975
  6. #31Michelle13,353
  7. #32Debbie13,092
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,281Tiffany#2,070 → #789
  2. ↑ 879Whitney#1,627 → #748
  3. ↑ 541Zina#1,533 → #992
  4. ↑ 414Glynis#1,406 → #992
  5. ↑ 408Lolita#978 → #570
Fallers
  1. ↓ 300Fern#821 → #1,121
  2. ↓ 259Jacklyn#815 → #1,074
  3. ↓ 255Dorthy#929 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 224Laurene#943 → #1,167
  5. ↓ 215Jimmie#911 → #1,126

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

boys

2,068,772 boys got a published name in 1962; 1 in 68,959 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 69.3% of the 4,631 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #1,403Valentine31
  2. #1,403Vidal31
  3. #1,403Wylie31
  4. #1,423Kathleen30
  5. #1,423Amador30
  6. #1,423Candido30
  7. #1,423Cardell30
  8. #1,454Abram29
  9. #1,454Alfonza29
  10. #1,454Alonso29

Tied with 30 names at #1,423; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. ↑ 490Ritchie#1,262 → #772
  2. ↑ 353King#1,349 → #996
  3. ↑ 338Arlie#1,322 → #984
  4. ↑ 250Robb#1,052 → #802
  5. ↑ 243Pernell#928 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 351Mariano#928 → #1,279
  2. ↓ 349Michal#910 → #1,259
  3. ↓ 337Loran#958 → #1,295
  4. ↓ 292Sid#967 → #1,259
  5. ↓ 275Lorenza#940 → #1,215

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

See the top 100 for 1962 →