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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201941peak #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.

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 1941

girls
#36
7,160 births · 1 in 169 girls
boys
#1,209
30 births · 1 in 40,944 boys

Top girls' names in 1941

  1. #1Mary58,048
  2. #2Barbara39,543
  3. #3Patricia36,905
  4. #4Carol24,187
  5. #5Linda23,721
  6. #6Judith23,320
  7. #7Betty20,905
  8. #8Nancy20,885
  9. #9Sandra19,500
  10. #10Shirley16,954
  11. #36Kathleen7,160

Top boys' names in 1941

  1. #1James66,751
  2. #2Robert64,247
  3. #3John57,520
  4. #4William47,798
  5. #5Richard39,112
  6. #6Charles32,742
  7. #7David30,553
  8. #8Thomas26,641
  9. #9Ronald24,407
  10. #10Donald22,641
  11. #1,209Kathleen30
More about 1941

girls

1,208,119 girls got a published name in 1941; 1 in 169 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 99.3% of the 5,085 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #33Bonnie7,762
  2. #34Alice7,445
  3. #35Phyllis7,346
  4. #36Kathleen7,160
  5. #37Ann7,121
  6. #38Doris7,081
  7. #39Peggy6,561
Biggest movers since 1940
Risers
  1. 2,130Jerilyn#2,737#607
  2. 1,258Trina#2,109#851
  3. 372Karan#1,347#975
  4. 371Kristine#1,313#942
  5. 356Sherri#1,186#830
Fallers
  1. 447Kenneth#971#1,418
  2. 421Janna#997#1,418
  3. 366Beatriz#989#1,355
  4. 338Merna#997#1,335
  5. 337Eldora#957#1,294

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

boys

1,228,318 boys got a published name in 1941; 1 in 40,944 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 69.8% of the 4,002 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #1,187Samual31
  2. #1,187Stoney31
  3. #1,187Verle31
  4. #1,209Kathleen30
  5. #1,209Alonza30
  6. #1,209Ardell30
  7. #1,209Aubry30
  8. #1,230Abram29
  9. #1,230Amado29
  10. #1,230Audrey29

Tied with 20 names at #1,209; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1940
Risers
  1. 586Gay#1,573#987
  2. 375Issac#1,251#876
  3. 363Otho#1,334#971
  4. 338Lawrance#1,208#870
  5. 313Ford#1,251#938
Fallers
  1. 508Wilkie#792#1,300
  2. 452Arlis#994#1,446
  3. 394Ruby#939#1,333
  4. 359Gonzalo#850#1,209
  5. 325Lenord#929#1,254

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

See the top 100 for 1941