Eilleen
Feminine
Eilleen is Eileen with a second l, a letter the name has never needed. It keeps Eileen's sound exactly, and Eileen's line runs back through the Irish Eibhlín to the Norman Aveline.
How old is the name Eilleen?
Eilleen first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Eilleen alive today was born around 1947, making them about 78 years old. About 300 people named Eilleen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Eilleen most popular?
Eilleen peaked in 1916, reaching #2028 nationally. See the whole 1916 chart.
Where it comes from
From Aveline (Norman) to Eilleen
Our story of Eilleen
Eilleen takes a name that had already passed through two languages, Norman Aveline into Irish Eibhlín and Eibhlín into English as Eileen, and adds one more letter for the last step. The double l changes nothing in the sound; the second syllable still rhymes with seen. The root name has carried real distinction in modern times, never more than with Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and later the first to command one. Eilleen belongs to that same family, spelled with one flourish more.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Eileen is the English spelling of the Irish Eibhlín, which came from the Norman name Aveline; the meaning of Aveline is not settled. Eilleen is a spelling of Eileen and inherits the same uncertainty.
How the name formed
- AvelineNorman
- EibhlínIrish
- Eileen
- Eilleen
Related forms: Eibhlín
Pronouncing Eilleen
eye-LEEN
Said exactly like Eileen.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1915
- Most girls named
- 191616 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2028reached in 1916
- Change vs 2010
- −40.0%6 in 2018, from 10
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Eilleen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Eibhlín in Irish — related form
Eilleens among us
people named Eilleen are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Eilleen sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Said exactly like Eileen, a name everyone knows.
- Leads back to an Irish name with a long record.
- Forms and teachers will read it as a misspelling of Eileen and may correct it; the family will say 'two l's' often.
- Nothing records a history for this spelling apart from Eileen, so the story to tell is Eileen's, and it is a good one.
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Eilleen
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Eilleens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Eilleen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Eilleen in 2025?
- Eilleen is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Eilleen with classmates?
- Eilleen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Elizabeth#17 · Emily#34 · Emma#3 · Evelyn#8 · Ella#29 · Eleanor#12 · Erin#833 · Edna#2458
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Eilleen? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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