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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201990peak #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 1990

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #43 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 163 girlsAKMaine: #97 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 352 girlsMEVermont: #83 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 296 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #59 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 229 girlsNHWashington: #75 for girls · 83 births · 1 in 372 girlsWAIdaho: #178 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 765 girlsIDMontana: #170 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 665 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #137 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 593 girlsNDMinnesota: #78 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 358 girlsMNIllinois: #73 for girls · 226 births · 1 in 347 girlsILWisconsin: #109 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 553 girlsWIMichigan: #101 for girls · 128 births · 1 in 488 girlsMINew York: #72 for girls · 339 births · 1 in 360 girlsNYMassachusetts: #59 for girls · 161 births · 1 in 241 girlsMARhode Island: #82 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 345 girlsRIOregon: #118 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 524 girlsORNevada: #129 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 575 girlsNVWyoming: #66 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 211 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #166 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 734 girlsSDIowa: #96 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 444 girlsIAIndiana: #85 for girls · 86 births · 1 in 409 girlsINOhio: #88 for girls · 173 births · 1 in 410 girlsOHPennsylvania: #81 for girls · 209 births · 1 in 347 girlsPANew Jersey: #77 for girls · 141 births · 1 in 340 girlsNJConnecticut: #59 for girls · 80 births · 1 in 239 girlsCTCalifornia: #115 for girls · 482 births · 1 in 544 girlsCAUtah: #316 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,694 girlsUTColorado: #98 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 415 girlsCONebraska: #101 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 438 girlsNEMissouri: #88 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 386 girlsMOKentucky: #141 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 787 girlsKYWest Virginia: #158 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 732 girlsWVVirginia: #68 for girls · 119 births · 1 in 318 girlsVAMaryland: #57 for girls · 111 births · 1 in 256 girlsMDDelaware: #94 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 337 girlsDEArizona: #130 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 611 girlsAZNew Mexico: #122 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 516 girlsNMKansas: #106 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 450 girlsKSArkansas: #146 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 702 girlsARTennessee: #138 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 755 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #121 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 649 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #100 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 501 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #61 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 232 girlsDCOklahoma: #225 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 1,247 girlsOKLouisiana: #137 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 747 girlsLAMississippi: #234 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,252 girlsMSAlabama: #182 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 1,022 girlsALGeorgia: #103 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 520 girlsGAHawaii: #106 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 420 girlsHITexas: #146 for girls · 175 births · 1 in 786 girlsTXFlorida: #98 for girls · 159 births · 1 in 498 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Alaska#43 · 1 in 163
  2. Maryland#57 · 1 in 256
  3. New Hampshire#59 · 1 in 229
  4. Connecticut#59 · 1 in 239
  5. Massachusetts#59 · 1 in 241

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#43211 in 163
Maryland#571111 in 256
Connecticut#59801 in 239
Massachusetts#591611 in 241
New Hampshire#59291 in 229
District of Columbia#61201 in 232
Wyoming#6681 in 211
Virginia#681191 in 318
New York#723391 in 360
Illinois#732261 in 347
Washington#75831 in 372
New Jersey#771411 in 340
Minnesota#78781 in 358
Pennsylvania#812091 in 347
Rhode Island#82161 in 345
Vermont#8391 in 296
Indiana#85861 in 409
Missouri#88851 in 386
Ohio#881731 in 410
Delaware#94111 in 337
Iowa#96361 in 444
Maine#97181 in 352
Colorado#98501 in 415
Florida#981591 in 498
South Carolina#100401 in 501
Michigan#1011281 in 488
Nebraska#101211 in 438
Georgia#103821 in 520
Hawaii#106131 in 420
Kansas#106311 in 450
Wisconsin#109531 in 553
California#1154821 in 544
Oregon#118321 in 524
North Carolina#121631 in 649
New Mexico#122181 in 516
Nevada#129121 in 575
Arizona#130431 in 611
Louisiana#137341 in 747
North Dakota#13761 in 593
Tennessee#138401 in 755
Kentucky#141271 in 787
Arkansas#146181 in 702
Texas#1461751 in 786
West Virginia#158121 in 732
South Dakota#16651 in 734
Montana#17051 in 665
Idaho#17871 in 765
Alabama#182221 in 1,022
Oklahoma#225141 in 1,247
Mississippi#234111 in 1,252
Utah#31681 in 1,694

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 1990

girls
#92
3,670 births · 1 in 517 girls
boys
#3,971
14 births · 1 in 146,717 boys

Top girls' names in 1990

  1. #1Jessica46,486
  2. #2Ashley45,561
  3. #3Brittany36,536
  4. #4Amanda34,413
  5. #5Samantha25,868
  6. #6Sarah25,824
  7. #7Stephanie24,864
  8. #8Jennifer22,236
  9. #9Elizabeth20,750
  10. #10Lauren20,506
  11. #92Kathleen3,670

Top boys' names in 1990

  1. #1Michael65,321
  2. #2Christopher52,362
  3. #3Matthew44,826
  4. #4Joshua43,237
  5. #5Daniel33,830
  6. #6David33,748
  7. #7Andrew33,673
  8. #8James32,359
  9. #9Justin30,649
  10. #10Joseph30,137
  11. #3,971Kathleen14
More about 1990

girls

1,898,547 girls got a published name in 1990; 1 in 517 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 99.4% of the 15,234 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #89Holly3,772
  2. #90Abigail3,719
  3. #91Meghan3,695
  4. #92Kathleen3,670
  5. #93Julie3,657
  6. #94Ariel3,607
  7. #95Alexandria3,595
Biggest movers since 1989
Risers
  1. 5,592Alannah#6,531#939
  2. 1,178Symone#1,998#820
  3. 869Shelbi#1,750#881
  4. 831Latifah#1,532#701
  5. 828Skyler#1,564#736
Fallers
  1. 2,554Elizabet#524#3,078
  2. 1,572Katherin#717#2,289
  3. 652Stephani#390#1,042
  4. 504Ashanti#893#1,397
  5. 416Audrianna#759#1,175

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

boys

2,054,038 boys got a published name in 1990; 1 in 146,717 of them was named Kathleen, which outranked 58.2% of the 9,493 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 19.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kathleen
  1. #3,779Yasin15
  2. #3,779Yuta15
  3. #3,779Zakkery15
  4. #3,971Kathleen14
  5. #3,971Abiel14
  6. #3,971Akram14
  7. #3,971Alante14
  8. #4,167Aarin13
  9. #4,167Aaryn13
  10. #4,167Abdulaziz13

Tied with 195 names at #3,971; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1989
Risers
  1. 3,636Tevin#4,017#381
  2. 3,283Keenen#4,271#988
  3. 1,325Male#2,027#702
  4. 1,032Denzel#1,476#444
  5. 598Kevon#1,476#878
Fallers
  1. 1,130Kiara#956#2,086
  2. 916Rachel#993#1,909
  3. 855Nicole#985#1,840
  4. 746Tiffany#956#1,702
  5. 681Sarah#819#1,500

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

See the top 100 for 1990