Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Colleen

Colleen is an Irish female name, from the Irish-Gaelic “cailín” meaning “girl”. It’s more or less a name invention by Irish people who immigrated to North America (U.S. and Canada). In other words, Irish people in Ireland don’t name their baby girls Colleen. The name is mainly used in the United States, Canada and Australia; and almost exclusively among people with Irish ancestry. Colleen is essentially synonymous with an Irish girl.

All About the Baby Name – Colleen

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME COLLEEN

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME COLLEEN

Colleen is a modern name popularized by Irish-Americans at the beginning of the 20th century. The silent film actress and star Colleen Moore helped to catapult the name’s popularity in the 1920s. Its height of usage really came between the 1950s and 70s, though. You can see by the chart below that Colleen would end up descending down the charts as fast as she ascended. The 21st century has so far pretty much rejected this quaint Irish lass. In fact, many of the “-een” names are less fashionable today than they once were (Aileen, Eileen, Kathleen). Only 143 baby girls were given the name Colleen in 2012.

Quick Facts

ON COLLEEN

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Gaelic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

kahl-EEN

SIMPLE MEANING:

Girl

Characteristics

OF COLLEEN

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Colleen

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME COLLEEN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Colleen

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME COLLEEN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Colleen


Popular Songs

ON COLLEEN

Colleen
a song by Rawlins Cross

Colleen (I Saw Him First)
a song by Amanda Marshall

Famous People

NAMED COLLEEN

Colleen Dewhurst (actress)
Colleen Moore (silent film star)
Colleen McCullough (Australian author)

Children of Famous People

NAMED COLLEEN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Colleen

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME COLLEEN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Colleen