Eileen is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Eileen means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Eileen across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Eileen has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Eileen is a girl name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, linked to light”. an anglicised form of Eibhlín.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 190,020 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 659 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 509 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 41 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 5,338 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 Eileen per year, United States (1882 to 2025). United States peaked in 1947 (4,267/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1965 (367/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (65/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (44/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2012 (5/yr).
Eileen has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1947, when it ranked #176 nationally (given to 4,267 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1940s.
Elena · Ellen · Allen · Elian · Ilene
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