Girls' name · since 1901
Colleen
Since 1901, U.S. Social Security records show 162,754 babies named Colleen, peaking in 1964. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #247 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,828 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 162,754
- born since 1901
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Colleen is the #2828 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 162,754 recorded since 1901.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Colleen has been recorded 162,754 times among girls since 1901, currently ranked #2828 nationally and more common than 84% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1901 to 2025.
- #247 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,828 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 162,754 born since 1901
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Colleen ranks #247 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,828 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 162,754 born since 1901, peaking in the 1960s.
- #247 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,828 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 162,754
- born since 1901
- 1960s
- peak decade
Colleen's 162,754 recorded births place it above 99.65% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Colleen compares
162,754 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Colleen's all-time total is 433x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Colleen | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 162,754 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,546 | 21 | 19,840 |
Colleen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Colleen's full recorded timeline at 1964, 52% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 48% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1964 peak of 4,546 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Colleen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1901–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 4,546
- Annual births at peak, across 125 years of records
Colleen popularity over time - boys
330 total births recorded since 1927 (Colleen as boys' name)
Colleen by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (40,673 births, 25% of the file).
1960s was Colleen's strongest decade.
40,673 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Colleen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 72
1900s
72 births
- 1910s 413
1910s
413 births
- 1920s 6,080
1920s
6,080 births
- 1930s 7,428
1930s
7,428 births
- 1940s 10,473
1940s
10,473 births
- 1950s
1950s
35,913 births
- 1960s
1960s
40,673 births
- 1970s
1970s
23,759 births
- 1980s
1980s
19,468 births
- 1990s 12,927
1990s
12,927 births
- 2000s 3,881
2000s
3,881 births
- 2010s 1,274
2010s
1,274 births
- 2020s 393
2020s
393 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 40,673 births (25% of all-time use).
How Colleen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Colleen's total volume
Colleen by state
Where Colleen concentrates geographically, total births since 1901
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 18,685 | 11.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 14,379 | 8.8% |
| #3 | California | | 13,622 | 8.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,382 | 7.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 9,880 | 6.1% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 8,366 | 5.1% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 8,295 | 5.1% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 7,411 | 4.6% |
18,685 of 162,754 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Colleen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Colleen? ▼
Where does Colleen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Colleen most popular? ▼
Where is Colleen most popular? ▼
How long has the name Colleen been used? ▼
What names are similar to Colleen? ▼
What to do with Colleen's data
- Colleen's decade-level peak was the 1960s (40,673 total births); usage has since declined to 393 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Colleens (18,685 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Colleen
Nearby Names Like Colleen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Colleen
Compare Colleen side by side: Colleen vs Colette Colleen vs Coleen Colleen vs Collins
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Colleen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Colleen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1964)
Similar record span (~124 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1901–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Colleen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.