Kathyleen
Feminine · “a form of Kathleen”
Kathyleen is Kathleen written with Kathy inside it, a spelling that shows the pet form within the full name. The name belongs to one of the best-loved parlor songs of nineteenth-century America.
How old is the name Kathyleen?
Kathyleen first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Kathyleen alive today was born around 1951, making them about 74 years old. About 300 people named Kathyleen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kathyleen most popular?
Kathyleen peaked in 1951, reaching #1921 nationally. See the whole 1951 chart.
Where it comes from
From Catherine to Kathyleen
The story of Kathyleen
I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen, with its promise to carry a homesick wife back across the ocean, is often taken for an Irish song, but it was written by Thomas Westendorf, a schoolteacher in Indiana, and his wife was not named Kathleen. It was sung in parlors across America and helped keep the name familiar. Kathyleen writes the name so that Kathy shows at its front, and no record explains who first did.
Meaningscholars disagree
a form of Kathleen, from Catherine
Kathleen is the English form of Irish Caitlín, from Catherine, whose meaning is argued. Kathyleen is a spelling that adds a y.
How the name formed
- Catherine
- Caitlín
- Kathleen
- Kathyleen
Related forms: Caitlín · Kathleen
Pronouncing Kathyleen
kath-LEEN
Most families say it like Kathleen. Some read it in three syllables.
Nicknames for Kathyleen
Limited
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
- 1914
- Most girls named
- 195126 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1921reached in 1951
- Change vs 1985
- −16.7%5 in 1998, 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.
Kathyleen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Caitlín in Irish — related form
- Kathleen in English — spelling variant
Kathyleens among us
people named Kathyleen 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
Kathyleen 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
- It sounds like a classic, familiar name.
- Kathy is a ready short form.
- People will write Kathleen.
- The y may be read as a separate syllable.
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Kathyleen
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Kathyleens 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 Kathyleen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kathyleen in 2025?
- Kathyleen is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Kathyleen with classmates?
- Kathyleen 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 Kathyleen? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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