Colleen
Girl name · #2828 in 2025 · Uniqueness 75/100
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, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Colleen against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Colleen in class?
Colleen scores 75 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. 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
Geography matters for names, and Colleen is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Colleens were CA (6), TX (6), IL (5). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
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
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. It scores 75/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.