Kathleen is a distinctive choice, ranked #997 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Kathleen in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#997
US Rank #985
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About the Name Kathleen
Kathleen has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 229 places in five years. It was most popular in 1996 at #227 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Kathleen is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Kathleen in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #985, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Kathleen
Kathleen Folbigg — Kathleen Megan Folbigg is an Australian woman who was wrongfully convicted in 2003 of murdering her four infant children.
Kathleen Byron — Kathleen Elizabeth Fell, known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was an English actress.
Kathleen Rubins — Kathleen Hallisey Rubins is an American microbiologist, the inaugural director of the Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and retired NASA astronaut.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Kathleen
Unlikely. With around 34 UK babies named Kathleen per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Kathleen in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Kathleen is declining: down 190 places since 2020, to #997 in 2025. It peaked at #227 in 1996.
Kathleen is more popular in the US (#985) than in the UK (#1036). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Kathleen include: Kathleen Folbigg, Kathleen Rubins and Kathleen Stock. Short summaries for each appear below.
Kathleen does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Kathleens in the wild.
34
UK babies named Kathleen (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 190 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Kathleen
Almost certainly the only Kathleen in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2021–2021)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Kathleen
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Kathleen Hallisey Rubins is an American microbiologist, the inaugural director of the Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and retired NASA astronaut.