Colleen
Girl name · #2828 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Colleen? In official American birth records, Colleen has been tracked continuously since 1901, giving it 124 years of documented American history.
Colleen ranks #2828 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 60 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1814, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 30,000 girls born in 2025 was named Colleen.
The 124-year story
Colleen first appears in the Social Security records in 1901, when 6 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1964, when 4,546 girls were named Colleen — good for #94 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Colleen per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Colleen against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Colleen in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Colleen is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Colleen will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Colleen is most common
State-level data for Colleen is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Colleen
Statistically, parents drawn to Colleen tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Maureen, Kathleen, Noreen, Doreen, and Valarie.
MaureenKathleenNoreenDoreenValarieGretchenShannonCorinna
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Colleen | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 60 | #2822 |
| 2024 | 60 | #2798 |
| 2023 | 83 | #2244 |
| 2022 | 60 | #2821 |
| 2021 | 65 | #2638 |
| 2020 | 65 | #2597 |
| 2019 | 95 | #2011 |
| 2018 | 89 | #2130 |
| 2017 | 104 | #1930 |
| 2016 | 102 | #1956 |
| 2015 | 115 | #1814 |
| 2014 | 116 | #1774 |
| 2013 | 149 | #1487 |
| 2012 | 148 | #1503 |
| 2011 | 154 | #1458 |
| 2010 | 202 | #1197 |
| 2009 | 215 | #1167 |
| 2008 | 226 | #1137 |
| 2007 | 244 | #1075 |
| 2006 | 296 | #897 |
| 2005 | 340 | #775 |
| 2004 | 382 | #701 |
| 2003 | 433 | #620 |
| 2002 | 500 | #548 |
| 2001 | 636 | #439 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Colleen?
In official American birth records, the name Colleen first appeared in 1901 (over 124 years ago), when 6 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 124 years.
Is Colleen a popular girl name?
Colleen ranked #2828 among girls in 2025 with 60 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1814.
When was the name Colleen most popular?
Colleen peaked in 1964, when 4,546 American girls received the name (ranked #94 that year). Since 1964 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Colleen?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 30,000 newborn American girls was named Colleen. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.