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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201976peak #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 1976

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #35 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 147 girlsAKMaine: #78 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 332 girlsMEVermont: #93 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 349 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #44 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 179 girlsNHWashington: #88 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 401 girlsWAIdaho: #149 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 648 girlsIDMontana: #66 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 261 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #190 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 825 girlsNDMinnesota: #80 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 382 girlsMNIllinois: #53 for girls · 253 births · 1 in 276 girlsILWisconsin: #69 for girls · 79 births · 1 in 347 girlsWIMichigan: #76 for girls · 143 births · 1 in 380 girlsMINew York: #43 for girls · 431 births · 1 in 233 girlsNYMassachusetts: #30 for girls · 201 births · 1 in 142 girlsMARhode Island: #37 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 151 girlsRIOregon: #68 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 293 girlsORNevada: #61 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 219 girlsNVWyoming: #85 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 298 girlsWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Kathleen, so not publishedSDIowa: #97 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 428 girlsIAIndiana: #113 for girls · 62 births · 1 in 545 girlsINOhio: #78 for girls · 187 births · 1 in 360 girlsOHPennsylvania: #48 for girls · 288 births · 1 in 224 girlsPANew Jersey: #32 for girls · 211 births · 1 in 167 girlsNJConnecticut: #40 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 180 girlsCTCalifornia: #98 for girls · 305 births · 1 in 472 girlsCAUtah: #142 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 658 girlsUTColorado: #85 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 368 girlsCONebraska: #82 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 350 girlsNEMissouri: #72 for girls · 81 births · 1 in 364 girlsMOKentucky: #166 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 781 girlsKYWest Virginia: #124 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 552 girlsWVVirginia: #103 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 448 girlsVAMaryland: #58 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 260 girlsMDDelaware: #84 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 287 girlsDEArizona: #102 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 449 girlsAZNew Mexico: #121 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 479 girlsNMKansas: #108 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 520 girlsKSArkansas: #298 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,549 girlsARTennessee: #302 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 1,870 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #209 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 1,000 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #157 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 650 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #48 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 194 girlsDCOklahoma: #164 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 764 girlsOKLouisiana: #206 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 963 girlsLAMississippi: #289 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,381 girlsMSAlabama: #252 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,265 girlsALGeorgia: #180 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 858 girlsGAHawaii: #77 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 309 girlsHITexas: #252 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 1,272 girlsTXFlorida: #114 for girls · 76 births · 1 in 539 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Massachusetts#30 · 1 in 142
  2. New Jersey#32 · 1 in 167
  3. Alaska#35 · 1 in 147
  4. Rhode Island#37 · 1 in 151
  5. Connecticut#40 · 1 in 180

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#302011 in 142
New Jersey#322111 in 167
Alaska#35151 in 147
Rhode Island#37271 in 151
Connecticut#40761 in 180
New York#434311 in 233
New Hampshire#44241 in 179
District of Columbia#48301 in 194
Pennsylvania#482881 in 224
Illinois#532531 in 276
Maryland#58671 in 260
Nevada#61131 in 219
Montana#66161 in 261
Oregon#68471 in 293
Wisconsin#69791 in 347
Missouri#72811 in 364
Michigan#761431 in 380
Hawaii#77151 in 309
Maine#78171 in 332
Ohio#781871 in 360
Minnesota#80631 in 382
Nebraska#82271 in 350
Delaware#8491 in 287
Colorado#85441 in 368
Wyoming#8571 in 298
Washington#88521 in 401
Vermont#9361 in 349
Iowa#97411 in 428
California#983051 in 472
Arizona#102341 in 449
Virginia#103601 in 448
Kansas#108251 in 520
Indiana#113621 in 545
Florida#114761 in 539
New Mexico#121161 in 479
West Virginia#124211 in 552
Utah#142211 in 658
Idaho#14991 in 648
South Carolina#157261 in 650
Oklahoma#164211 in 764
Kentucky#166301 in 781
Georgia#180361 in 858
North Dakota#19051 in 825
Louisiana#206271 in 963
North Carolina#209321 in 1,000
Alabama#252171 in 1,265
Texas#252761 in 1,272
Mississippi#289111 in 1,381
Arkansas#29881 in 1,549
Tennessee#302141 in 1,870
South Dakota———

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 1976

girls
#82
3,405 births · 1 in 430 girls
boys
#2,709
15 births · 1 in 104,600 boys

Top girls' names in 1976

  1. #1Jennifer59,473
  2. #2Amy31,339
  3. #3Melissa25,094
  4. #4Heather24,192
  5. #5Angela22,038
  6. #6Michelle19,550
  7. #7Kimberly18,962
  8. #8Jessica18,368
  9. #9Lisa17,346
  10. #10Amanda15,588
  11. #82Kathleen3,405

Top boys' names in 1976

  1. #1Michael66,915
  2. #2Jason52,643
  3. #3Christopher45,190
  4. #4David39,265
  5. #5James38,294
  6. #6John33,976
  7. #7Robert33,789
  8. #8Brian30,517
  9. #9Matthew29,951
  10. #10Daniel24,702
  11. #2,709Kathleen15
More about 1976

girls

1,465,099 girls got a published name in 1976; 1 in 430 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 99.2% of the 10,913 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #79Brandi3,537
  2. #80Natalie3,499
  3. #81Sharon3,453
  4. #82Kathleen3,405
  5. #83Valerie3,386
  6. #84Pamela3,364
  7. #85Samantha3,347
Biggest movers since 1975
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,548Rhiannon#4,141 → #593
  2. ↑ 3,533Mackenzie#4,370 → #837
  3. ↑ 3,060Khalilah#3,774 → #714
  4. ↑ 1,663Kenisha#2,612 → #949
  5. ↑ 1,455Latoria#2,411 → #956
Fallers
  1. ↓ 821Nyree#926 → #1,747
  2. ↓ 668Syreeta#778 → #1,446
  3. ↓ 505Cher#994 → #1,499
  4. ↓ 398Kandice#957 → #1,355
  5. ↓ 370Racquel#973 → #1,343

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

boys

1,569,007 boys got a published name in 1976; 1 in 104,600 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 58.3% of the 6,495 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 25.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #2,601Vicent16
  2. #2,601Wendel16
  3. #2,601Zakary16
  4. #2,709Kathleen15
  5. #2,709Aharon15
  6. #2,709Anna15
  7. #2,709Antrone15
  8. #2,826Aleksandar14
  9. #2,826Aloysius14
  10. #2,826Ann14

Tied with 116 names at #2,709; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1975
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,506Seneca#4,309 → #803
  2. ↑ 1,165Jameel#2,134 → #969
  3. ↑ 712Delvin#1,658 → #946
  4. ↑ 567Jerimy#1,530 → #963
  5. ↑ 510Jamaal#1,042 → #532
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,113Santino#1,000 → #2,113
  2. ↓ 511Carnell#900 → #1,411
  3. ↓ 453Nakia#337 → #790
  4. ↓ 395Charlton#938 → #1,333
  5. ↓ 376Benjiman#970 → #1,346

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

See the top 100 for 1976 →