US rank #1107 Girls' name Peak 1951 713,438 births

Kathleen — #1107 US girls' name

713,438 babies named Kathleen in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3891890s19421900s39241910s165921920s335971930s345501940s1529811950s2243411960s1209501970s448461980s393951990s248472000s100652010s38082020s1211
#1107
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 94% of names given to girls today.

1950s
Peak decade

31% of everyone ever named Kathleen was born in this single decade.

1951
Single peak year

26,716 babies were named Kathleen in 1951 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Kathleen

The Social Security Administration has registered 713,438 babies named Kathleen between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Kathleen currently holds the #1107 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1951, when 26,716 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Kathleen performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 224,341 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Kathleen shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 91,640 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Kathleen in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Kathleen in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 713,438 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Kathleen at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

713,438

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1951

26,716 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#1,107

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Kathleen popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1951)
26,716
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-10,000010,00020,00030,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 21

Kathleen popularity over time — boys

1,691 total births recorded since 1915 (Kathleen as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 1,691 births
0204060 199119821973196419551946193719281915 6

Kathleen by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
224,341 births that decade — 31% of Kathleen's all-time total
1880s3891890s19421900s39241910s165921920s335971930s345501940s1529811950s2243411960s1209501970s448461980s393951990s248472000s100652010s38082020s1211

Kathleen by state

Where Kathleen concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Kathleen
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
91,640 12.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
62,475 8.8%
#3 California
60,914 8.5%
#4 Illinois
48,671 6.8%
#5 Ohio
40,548 5.7%
#6 Massachusetts
39,411 5.5%
#7 Michigan
38,748 5.4%
#8 New Jersey
35,945 5.0%
New York share of Kathleen's total US births 12.8%
Even split

91,640 of 713,438 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Kathleen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Kathleen?
713,438 babies have been named Kathleen since 1880. It currently ranks #1107 among girls. The peak year was 1951 with 26,716 births.
When was Kathleen most popular?
Kathleen was most popular in the 1950s decade with 224,341 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Kathleen most popular?
The top states for the name Kathleen are New York (91,640 births), Pennsylvania (62,475 births), California (60,914 births).
How long has the name Kathleen been used?
Kathleen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Kathleen?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Katherine, Kathryn, Kathy, Katie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Kathleen

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.