Colleen: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Colleen is an Irish girl's name meaning “girl.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Girl
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Coleen
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 718 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Colleen?
Colleen is pronounced kol-EEN. It has two syllables, with the stress on the second. It can also be said KOL-een. Other spellings: Coleen.
What does Colleen mean?
Colleen comes from the Irish word cailín, “girl” or “young unmarried woman,” a diminutive of caile, “woman, countrywoman.” In Irish, cailín is grammatically a masculine noun. The word passed into Irish English as colleen, “a girl,” and appears in the title of Dion Boucicault’s 1860 play The Colleen Bawn, from cailín bán, “fair girl.”
As a first name, Colleen emerged in America in the early 20th century and became far more common in Irish-descended communities in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand than in Ireland itself. Well-known bearers include the Australian novelist Colleen McCullough and the American author Colleen Hoover.
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), en.wiktionary.org.
How popular is Colleen in Ireland?
In 2025, 4 baby girls in Ireland were named Colleen, which made it No. 718 that year. That's down from No. 532 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1992, when 21 baby girls were named Colleen, No. 197 that year. The most babies got the name in 1984: 25. It first appears in the records in 1968, with 5 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | No. 718 |
| 2021 | 4 | No. 764 |
| 2017 | 5 | No. 651 |
| 2015 | 7 | No. 532 |
| 2014 | 5 | No. 661 |
| 2013 | 6 | No. 587 |
| 2012 | 7 | No. 560 |
| 2011 | 4 | No. 798 |
| 2010 | 9 | No. 475 |
| 2009 | 11 | No. 410 |
| 2008 | 9 | No. 469 |
| 2007 | 6 | No. 549 |
| 2006 | 9 | No. 394 |
| 2005 | 14 | No. 263 |
| 2004 | 7 | No. 414 |
| 2003 | 5 | No. 490 |
| 2002 | 5 | No. 443 |
| 2001 | 8 | No. 335 |
| 2000 | 8 | No. 324 |
| 1999 | 5 | No. 392 |
| 1998 | 13 | No. 222 |
| 1997 | 19 | No. 226 |
| 1996 | 15 | No. 241 |
| 1995 | 18 | No. 211 |
| 1994 | 15 | No. 232 |
| 1993 | 19 | No. 204 |
| 1992 | 21 | No. 197 |
| 1991 | 11 | No. 284 |
| 1990 | 16 | No. 228 |
| 1989 | 13 | No. 263 |
| 1988 | 16 | No. 237 |
| 1987 | 19 | No. 225 |
| 1986 | 22 | No. 202 |
| 1985 | 13 | No. 267 |
| 1984 | 25 | No. 205 |
| 1983 | 14 | No. 267 |
| 1982 | 13 | No. 286 |
| 1981 | 10 | No. 325 |
| 1980 | 14 | No. 283 |
| 1979 | 10 | No. 321 |
| 1978 | 5 | No. 428 |
| 1977 | 3 | No. 518 |
| 1976 | 3 | No. 497 |
| 1971 | 4 | No. 417 |
| 1970 | 3 | No. 447 |
| 1969 | 4 | No. 393 |
| 1968 | 5 | No. 327 |
Colleen in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Colleen, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- OOnn, gorse
- LLuis, rowan
- LLuis, rowan
- EEadhadh, aspen
- EEadhadh, aspen
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Colleen
Questions about Colleen
- How do you pronounce Colleen?
- Colleen is pronounced kol-EEN. Two syllables, stress on the second.
- What does Colleen mean?
- Colleen means “girl.”
- Is Colleen a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Colleen is a girl's name.
- How popular is Colleen in Ireland?
- In 2025, Colleen was No. 718 for girls in Ireland, with 4 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1992, at No. 197.