Kathleene
Feminine · Greek roots
Kathleene is Kathleen with a final e, a letter that changes nothing in the sound: two syllables, KATH-leen, as always. It shares everything else with Kathleen, the English form of the Irish Caitlín, which is itself a form of Katherine.
How old is the name Kathleene?
Kathleene first appears in US birth records in 1915 — 110 years ago. The typical Kathleene alive today was born around 1947, making them about 78 years old. About 300 people named Kathleene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kathleene most popular?
Kathleene peaked in 1947, reaching #1697 nationally. See the whole 1947 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Aikaterine (Greek) to Kathleene
Our story of Kathleene
Our story of Kathleene is short, because the name is Kathleen through and through: the same road from Greek to Irish to English, the same two syllables, the same Kathy waiting at home. The e at the end is its one addition, silent on the tongue and visible only on paper. Whether it began as a choice or a slip of the pen, nobody wrote down, and the record keeps both kinds of spelling side by side without telling them apart. Either way it has stayed, a small mark that belongs to this spelling alone.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Kathleen is the English form of Irish Caitlín, from Katherine, whose Greek origin has never been settled. The final e adds no meaning and no sound.
How the name formed
- AikaterineGreek
- CaitlínIrish
- KathleenEnglish
- Kathleene
Related forms: Caitlín
Pronouncing Kathleene
KATH-leen
Two syllables, stressed on the first, exactly as Kathleen; the final e is silent.
Nicknames for Kathleene
Moderate
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
- 194732 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1697reached in 1947
- Change vs 1970
- −16.7%5 in 1995, from 6
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.
Kathleene in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Caitlín in Irish — related form
Kathleenes among us
people named Kathleene 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
Kathleene 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
- Sounds exactly like Kathleen, a name everyone already knows how to say.
- Kathy and Kate are ready short forms.
- It will be read as Kathleen with a typo, and forms and teachers will drop the e; pointing it out will be a lifelong small task.
- A few readers may try to sound the e and make three syllables; one correction usually settles it.
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Kathleene
Feminine · Greek roots
Frequently asked
- How many Kathleenes 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 Kathleene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kathleene in 2025?
- Kathleene is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Kathleene with classmates?
- Kathleene will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kathleene? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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