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Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Colleen

Colleen

♀ Girl

Pronounced kah-LEEN /kΙ‘.ˈlin/Medium

Meaning: GirlMedium

In 30 seconds: Colleen is an English girl's name meaning simply 'girl'. It has a friendly, mid-century charm.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningGirl
U.S. rank (2025)#2829 β†˜ Falling
2025 U.S. births60 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1964
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 162,759

Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 196419012025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Colleen is listed as an English name meaning 'girl'. Its variations, including Coleen, Colene, and Kolleen, all keep the same warm, two-syllable sound. The name was carried by the silent-film star Colleen Moore and the stage actress Colleen Dewhurst.

There's a soft, approachable quality to the name's flowing ee sound. The spread of spellings, from Coleen to Collyn, shows how flexibly it has been written.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Colleen is 'girl', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Colleen β€” etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration β€” 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

ColeenColeneCollynKolleen

Nicknames

β€”

Famous Bearers

  • β˜…Colleen Moore (1899–1988)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.
  • β˜…Colleen Dewhurst (1924–1991)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Colleen…

Chosenβ€” shares Colleen's English roots
Chozenβ€” echoes that soft -en sound
Ellenβ€” a fellow English choice
Hellenβ€” echoes that soft -en sound
Maddenβ€” another English name

Explore names like Colleen

By themeenglish

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Colleen mean?

Colleen is usually explained as meaning 'girl' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Colleen?

It's commonly said kah-LEEN /kΙ‘.ˈlin/.

Is Colleen a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Colleen is used as a girl name.

How popular is Colleen?

In 2024, Colleen ranked #2797 in the U.S. for girls, with 60 births recorded.

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