girl's name
Cathleen
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 30,409
Ireland
#500
1990 births
Cathleen is a girl's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1958, when 1,159 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 331,565 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1896.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Cathleen over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 16 |
| 1900s | 124 |
| 1910s | 345 |
| 1920s | 641 |
| 1930s | 599 |
| 1940s | 3,541 |
| 1950s | 9,469 |
| 1960s | 8,294 |
| 1970s | 3,461 |
| 1980s | 1,760 |
| 1990s | 956 |
| 2000s | 461 |
| 2010s | 202 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 64 |
How popular is Cathleen?
In 2025, Cathleen was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Cathleen is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Cathleen
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cathleen also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cathleen over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Cathleen
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cathleen — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cathleen
How popular is the name Cathleen?
In 2025, Cathleen was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Cathleen a girl's or a boy's name?
Cathleen is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cathleen?
Cathleen has 2 syllables.
When was Cathleen most popular?
Cathleen peaked in 1958, when 1,159 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Cathleen a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cathleen currently ranks #9,933 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.