Cathleen is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cathleen means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cathleen across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cathleen has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cathleen is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “pure”. A variant of Kathleen, an Irish form of Catherine.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 29,933 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 26 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 19 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 61 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Cathleen per year, United States (1896 to 2025). United States peaked in 1958 (1,159/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1965 (7/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1977 (5/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2000 (4/yr).
Cathleen has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1958, when it ranked #480 nationally (given to 1,159 babies that year).
Kathleen · Kathaleen · Kathlene · Kathlyn · Kathleene · Katheleen · Cathlene · Kathyleen
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →