Colleen

Did you know?

A few things about Colleen you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Colleen

Colleen McCullough

Australian author (1937-2015)

Choose Colleen and your child shares a first name with Colleen McCullough, an Australian author. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Colleen, like who?” Colleen McCullough's Wikipedia article is available in 57 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Colleen McCullough on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Associated Press, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 26,810 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Colleen, 60 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Colleen would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryColleen first shows up in US birth records in 1901, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 124 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1966, when it ranked #93. Today it's #2,822, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowColleen was 9.0× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,982 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 26,810.
• 🍂TrendColleen has slipped 225 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,822. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn Irish, Colleen means “girl”. Our records link it to American, Celtic Gaelic and Irish roots.

About the name Colleen

Colleen is a girl name of American, Celtic Gaelic and Irish origin meaning “girl”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-een”. US birth records list Colleen for girls from 1901 to 2025, in 124 of those 125 years. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked #93 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,822, with 60 babies.

Origin:American namesCeltic Gaelic namesIrish names