Colleene
A feminine name derived from the French name Colette.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Colleene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Colleene today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Colleene births was 1926 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Colleene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Colleene is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Colleenes were born before 1965.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Colleene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1926
9 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1965 SSA rank
#6,694
Tracked since 1924
Census
Colleene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 129 people with the first name Colleene, which placed it at #48,862 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,862
National first-name rank
People counted
129
129 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colleene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Colleene is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Colleene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Colleene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 5
- Black or African American3.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 2
Popularity
Colleene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Colleene from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Colleene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Colleene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Colleene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Colleene
The name Colleene is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Cailín, which means "young woman" or "girl". It originated in Ireland and is believed to have been in use as early as the 9th century AD. The name is a diminutive form of the Irish name Cailí, which itself is a pet form of the name Caílte.
Colleene was initially popularized in Ireland, particularly in the western regions where Gaelic remained the predominant language for longer. It was a common name among Irish families throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. The earliest recorded examples of the name Colleene can be found in Irish annals and genealogical records from the 12th and 13th centuries.
While the name Colleene does not appear in any major religious scriptures or ancient texts, it was likely borne by various historical figures in Ireland during the medieval and early modern periods. However, due to the limited documentation from that time, specific individuals with this name are not widely known.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Colleene was Colleene Ní Bhriain, a noblewoman from County Clare in Ireland who lived in the 15th century. She was a member of the prominent Ó Briain (O'Brien) dynasty, which ruled over Thomond (present-day County Clare) during the Middle Ages.
Another notable figure was Colleene Ní Dhómhnaill, who lived in the 16th century and was a member of the powerful Ó Domhnaill (O'Donnell) clan of Donegal. She was known for her involvement in the political and military affairs of her time.
In the 17th century, Colleene Ní Cheallaigh was a renowned Irish poet and storyteller from County Sligo. Her works, which were passed down through oral tradition, are still celebrated in Irish literary circles today.
During the 18th century, Colleene Ní Mhaoilchiaráin was a prominent figure in the Irish language revival movement. She was a skilled scribe and copyist who helped preserve numerous Irish manuscripts and literary works.
In the 19th century, Colleene Ní Dhubhthaigh was a notable Irish academic and educator. She was one of the first women to receive a university education in Ireland and played a significant role in promoting education for women in her time.
The name Colleene has a rich history rooted in Irish culture and tradition. While it may not be as widely known or popular today, it remains a testament to the enduring legacy of Irish names and their significance in preserving cultural heritage.
People
Colleene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Colleene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Colleene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Colleene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Colleene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Colleene a common name?
We classify Colleene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Colleene most popular?
The single biggest year for Colleene was 1926, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Colleene is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Colleene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 129 people with the name Colleene, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,862 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Colleene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Colleene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Colleene appears almost entirely female. Of the 124 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Colleene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Colleene is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Colleene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Colleene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (107 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Colleene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Colleene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Colleene in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Colleene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Colleene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Colleene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Colleene?
See how many people share the name Colleene on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.