Home › Baby Names Directory › Kolleen

Kolleen

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Kolleen

Pronounced kuh-LEEN /kəˈlin/Medium

Meaning: Kolleen is a decorative K-spelling of Colleen, from the Irish cailin, simply 'girl' or 'young woman.' Colleen became a popular Irish-American name at mid-century, and Kolleen is one of its stylized variants; the meaning stays 'girl.'Low

In 30 seconds: Kolleen is a K-spelling of Colleen, Irish for 'girl', said kuh-LEEN, a mid-century Irish-American variant.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumIrish

MeaningKolleen is a decorative K-spelling of Colleen, from the Irish cailin, simply 'girl' or 'young woman.' Colleen became a popular Irish-American name at mid-century, and Kolleen is one of its stylized variants; the meaning stays 'girl.'

U.S. rank (2011)#18293 ↘ Falling

2011 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1962

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,016

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Kolleen is Colleen with a stylish K. Colleen comes straight from the Irish cailin, 'girl' or 'lass' - not a traditional Irish personal name at all, but an affectionate word that Irish-Americans adopted as one. The K- spelling was a mid-century flourish.

Kolleen's record runs from the nineteen-forties into the twenty-first century, cresting in the early nineteen-sixties with Colleen's own popularity, and always uncommon at only a few dozen births in its best year. It reads as a warm, of-its-era Irish-American name.

Did you know? Kolleen is one of a cluster of K-for-C respellings that gave mid-century families a fresher look for old favorites like Colleen and Karen.

Overall data confidence 50%

SSA national given-name data — arc 1946-2011, peak 1962Behind the Name - Colleen — Irish cailin 'girl'

Variations

ColleenColeenKolene

Nicknames

KollLeenie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Kolleen…

Colleen— the standard spelling of this name

Coleen— a plainer variant

Maureen— a same-era Irish-American -een name

Kathleen— shares the soft Irish -een sound

Explore names like Kolleen

By themevintage variant irish

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Kolleen mean?

Kolleen is a variant spelling of Colleen, from the Irish cailin, meaning 'girl' or 'young woman.'

How do you pronounce Kolleen?

It's said kuh-LEEN /kəˈlin/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Kolleen a boy or girl name?

Kolleen is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Kolleen?

Kolleen was always uncommon, given to only a few dozen girls a year around its early-nineteen-sixties peak.