Pronunciation
Coll-een
Meaning
Girl
Alternate spellings
Cailín
Fun fact
Colleen is an anglicised form of cailín, the Irish word for girl. So it's actually a word as well as a name! The Colleen spelling makes the sound easier to guess if you're living outside Ireland.
Popularity in Ireland
Figures for the spelling Colleen, Republic of Ireland.
The CSO only publishes names given to three or more babies in a year. “Less than 3” means zero, one or two babies, and these years appear as gaps on the graph.
#718Rank among girl names in 20254Babies registered in 2025
Number of babies registered each year
From 2018, spellings with and without fadas are counted separately. Earlier figures group these spellings together, so the graph has a break at 2018.
View yearly figures
| Year | Babies named | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #718 |
| 2024 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2023 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2022 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2021 | 4 | #764 |
| 2020 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2019 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2018 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2017 | 5 | #651 |
| 2016 | Less than 3 | - |
| 2015 | 7 | #532 |
| 2014 | 5 | #661 |
| 2013 | 6 | #587 |
| 2012 | 7 | #560 |
| 2011 | 4 | #798 |
| 2010 | 9 | #475 |
| 2009 | 11 | #410 |
| 2008 | 9 | #469 |
| 2007 | 6 | #549 |
| 2006 | 9 | #394 |
| 2005 | 14 | #263 |
| 2004 | 7 | #414 |
| 2003 | 5 | #490 |
| 2002 | 5 | #443 |
| 2001 | 8 | #335 |
| 2000 | 8 | #324 |
| 1999 | 5 | #392 |
| 1998 | 13 | #222 |
| 1997 | 19 | #226 |
| 1996 | 15 | #241 |
| 1995 | 18 | #211 |
| 1994 | 15 | #232 |
| 1993 | 19 | #204 |
| 1992 | 21 | #197 |
| 1991 | 11 | #284 |
| 1990 | 16 | #228 |
| 1989 | 13 | #263 |
| 1988 | 16 | #237 |
| 1987 | 19 | #225 |
| 1986 | 22 | #202 |
| 1985 | 13 | #267 |
| 1984 | 25 | #205 |
| 1983 | 14 | #267 |
| 1982 | 13 | #286 |
| 1981 | 10 | #325 |
| 1980 | 14 | #283 |
| 1979 | 10 | #321 |
| 1978 | 5 | #428 |
| 1977 | 3 | #518 |
| 1976 | 3 | #497 |
| 1975 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1974 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1973 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1972 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1971 | 4 | #417 |
| 1970 | 3 | #447 |
| 1969 | 4 | #393 |
| 1968 | 5 | #327 |
| 1967 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1966 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1965 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1964 | Less than 3 | - |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies’ Names, tables VSA50 and VSA60. Latest year: 2025.