Kathleen
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure one".
Name Census estimates that about 452,244 living Americans carry the first name Kathleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kathleen today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kathleen births was 1951 (26,749 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kathleen. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kathleen with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Kathleen is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 1,691 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1950s, recent registration numbers for Kathleen have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
452K
~ 1 in 758 Americans
Peak year
1951
26,749 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1991 SSA rank
#1,109
Tracked since 1880
Census
Kathleen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 547,317 people with the first name Kathleen, which placed it at #77 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
#77
National first-name rank
People counted
547K
547,317 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
181.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
92.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kathleen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kathleen is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Kathleen 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 Kathleen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 507,449
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 13,171
- Black or African American1.7% · 9,084
- Two or more races1.6% · 8,949
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 6,966
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1,698
Gender
Gender distribution for Kathleen
Out of the 715,129 babies given the name Kathleen since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kathleen as a male name
- Ranked #8,890 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1949 (56 births)
Kathleen as a female name
- Ranked #1,109 in 2024
- 220 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1951 (26,716 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kathleen appears almost entirely female. Of the 547,321 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Kathleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kathleen from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 224,735 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kathleen 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 Kathleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kathleens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Kathleen, while Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13,843 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kathleen
Kathleen is a feminine given name derived from the ancient Greek name Katharina, which itself originated from the Greek word "katharos" meaning "pure" or "clear". This name gained popularity in the early Christian era, with its meaning aligned with the virtues of purity and righteousness.
The name Kathleen emerged as an anglicized form of the Irish Caitlín, which was a Gaelic equivalent of the name Katharina. This transition occurred during the Middle Ages, as the name spread across Europe and adapted to local linguistic variations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kathleen can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in Irish annals and manuscripts. During this period, the name was associated with Irish nobility and religious figures, reflecting its growing cultural significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kathleen. One of the most celebrated is Saint Kathleen (1224-1292), an Irish princess who renounced her royal status to become a nun and later founded several monasteries in Ireland.
Another prominent figure is Kathleen Ni Houlihan (fl. late 16th century), a personification of Ireland in Irish literature and folklore. She symbolized the struggle for Irish independence and inspired many nationalist movements.
In the literary realm, Kathleen Raine (1908-2003) was a renowned English poet and critic, known for her exploration of mystical and metaphysical themes. Her works have significantly influenced modern poetry and spirituality.
Moving into the modern era, Kathleen Kennedy (born 1953) is a prominent American film producer and co-founder of Amblin Entertainment. She has produced numerous acclaimed films, including "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Schindler's List," and "Lincoln," among others.
Lastly, Kathleen Battle (born 1948) is an American operatic soprano who has achieved global recognition for her exceptional vocal talents and performances in both opera and recitals. She has been hailed as one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century.
These examples illustrate the enduring legacy and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the name Kathleen throughout history, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and universal appeal.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kathleen
People
Kathleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kathleen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kathleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kathleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 452,244 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kathleen 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 758 US residents.
Is Kathleen a common name?
We classify Kathleen as "Common". It ranks above 99.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 715,129 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kathleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Kathleen was 1951, when 26,749 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kathleen is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kathleen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 547,317 people with the name Kathleen, or 181.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #77 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 Kathleen 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 Kathleen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kathleen appears almost entirely female. Of the 547,321 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Kathleen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kathleen is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Kathleen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kathleen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (507,449 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 Kathleen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kathleen a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Kathleen 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 Kathleen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kathleen 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 Kathleen 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 Kathleen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.