Maileen
A feminine name derived from Mary, potentially relating to marine origins.
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Maileen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maileen today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maileen births was 2020 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maileen. 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.
People living today
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
2020
17 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,711
Tracked since 2007
Census
Maileen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 166 people with the first name Maileen, which placed it at #42,903 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
#42,903
National first-name rank
People counted
166
166 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
57.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maileen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maileen is Hispanic at 57.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%) and White (9.6%). 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 Maileen 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 Maileen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino57.2% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander31.3% · 52
- White9.6% · 16
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Popularity
Maileen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maileen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 59 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maileen 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 Maileen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maileens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maileen
The name Maileen has its origins in the ancient Celtic language, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old Irish word "máel," meaning "tonsured" or "bald," and was initially used to describe a monk or a religious figure who had taken a vow of monastic life. The name was particularly common among the early Christian communities in Ireland and Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Maileen can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. Here, it is referenced as the name of a renowned Irish abbot who lived in the 7th century AD. This abbot, known as Maileen of Iona, was a prominent figure in the Celtic Church and played a significant role in the spread of Christianity throughout the region.
In the 9th century, a Scottish prince named Maileen ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. His reign was marked by a period of relative peace and stability, during which he forged alliances with neighboring kingdoms and strengthened the region's defenses against Viking invasions. Maileen's legacy as a wise and capable ruler endured for generations, and his name became associated with leadership and strength.
During the Middle Ages, the name Maileen gained popularity among noble families in Ireland and Scotland. One notable figure bearing this name was Maileen O'Brien, a 12th-century Irish chieftain and military leader. He is renowned for his bravery in battles against the Anglo-Norman invaders and his unwavering defense of Irish sovereignty.
In the 16th century, a Scottish poet and scholar named Maileen Buchanan made significant contributions to the preservation of Gaelic literature and culture. His works, which included translations of ancient Celtic texts, helped to ensure the survival of these important cultural artifacts during a time of great upheaval and change.
Another notable figure with the name Maileen was a 17th-century Irish Catholic priest and scholar, Maileen Ó Cobhthaigh. He is best known for his extensive writings on Irish history, language, and culture, which played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the rich heritage of the Irish people during a period of oppression and marginalization.
While the name Maileen has its roots in the ancient Celtic world, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures over the centuries. Its enduring presence in historical records and literary works serves as a testament to its cultural significance and the remarkable individuals who have borne this name throughout history.
People
Maileen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maileen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maileen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maileen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maileen 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 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Maileen a common name?
We classify Maileen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maileen most popular?
The single biggest year for Maileen was 2020, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maileen is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Maileen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 166 people with the name Maileen, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,903 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 Maileen 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 Maileen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Maileen appears almost entirely female. Of the 159 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Maileen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maileen is Hispanic at 57.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%) and White (9.6%). 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 Maileen most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Maileen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.2% (95 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 Maileen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maileen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maileen 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 Maileen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maileen 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 Maileen 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 have Maileen as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Maileen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.