Colleen

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Colleen

Gender: Feminine
Language: Anglicized Irish Gaelic
Etymology:
Colleen comes from an Irish Gaelic vocabulary word meaning “ Little Girl.” The word was originally “cailin” from “caile” meaning “Girl.”

Under certain circumstances, Colleen may represent an attempt to feminize the name Colin, a diminutive of Nicholas.

History:
Colleen, though not a “real Irish” name, was used as such beginning in the early 20th century in the United States and Australia.

It probably began life as a nickname, one that families of Irish origin would use for their daughters. Such was the case with Kathleen Morrison (1900-1988), later called Colleen Moore, a famous silent film actress who popularized the “bob” haircut of the 1920s and helped initiate the “flapper” style.

The name Colleen received another boost in the 1950s, when Irish names (as well as names that end in “een”) were trendy.

Pronunciation: cawl-een.

Alternates: Coleen, Colene, Colleena, Collen, Collene.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Colleen McCullough (1937-)
New Zealand novelist.

Singers and Entertainers:
Colleen Moore (Kathleen Morrison) (1900-1988)
American actress.
Colleen Dewhurst (1926-1991)
Canadian actress.
Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick (Vitamin C) (1970-)
American singer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.092 % named Colleen
0.009 % named Coleen
0.002 % named Collen
0.001 % named Colene
0.001 % named Collene

Popularity of Colleen:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1908: N/A
1909: 960th most popular.
1910-1911: N/A
1912: 936th most popular.
1913-1914: N/A
1915: 916th most popular.
1916: 838th most popular.
1917: 829th most popular.
1918: 876th most popular. (Colleen Moore begins her career as a famous silent screen actress)
1919: N/A
1920: 817th most popular.
1921: 698th most popular.
1922: 511th most popular.
1923: 378th most popular. - (the movie Flaming Youth, starring Colleen Moore helps initiate the “flapper style,” which helped define the period)
1924: 291st most popular.
1925: 252nd most popular.
1926: 205th most popular.
1927: 194th most popular.
1928: 185th most popular.
1929: 185th most popular.
1930: 201st most popular.
1931: 218th most popular.
1932: 228th most popular.
1933: 236th most popular.
1934: 236th most popular.
1935: 243rd most popular.
1936: 198th most popular.
1937: 222nd most popular.
1938: 235th most popular.
1939: 242nd most popular.
1940: 248th most popular.
1941: 261st most popular.
1942: 251st most popular.
1943: 252nd most popular.
1944: 247th most popular.
1945: 233rd most popular.
1946: 213th most popular.
1947: 209th most popular.
1948: 161st most popular.
1949: 146th most popular.
1950: 124th most popular.
1951: 113th most popular.
1952: 108th most popular.
1953: 117th most popular.
1954: 119th most popular.
1955: 111th most popular.
1956: 113th most popular.
1957: 118th most popular.
1958: 116th most popular.
1959: 110th most popular.
1960: 107th most popular.
1961: 106th most popular.
1962: 101st most popular.
1963: 98th most popular.
1964: 94th most popular.
1965: 93rd most popular.
1966: 92nd most popular. - Peak!
1967: 96th most popular.
1968: 101st most popular.
1969: 109th most popular.
1970: 117th most popular.
1971: 121st most popular.
1972: 123rd most popular.
1973: 125th most popular.
1974: 123rd most popular.
1975: 134th most popular.
1976: 135th most popular.
1977: 145th most popular.
1978: 133rd most popular.
1979: 133rd most popular.
1980: 137th most popular.
1981: 138th most popular.
1982: 139th most popular.
1983: 144th most popular.
1984: 144th most popular.
1985: 150th most popular.
1986: 152nd most popular.
1987: 158th most popular.
1988: 166th most popular.
1989: 158th most popular.
1990: 169th most popular.
1991: 192nd most popular.
1992: 191st most popular.
1993: 192nd most popular.
1994: 217th most popular.
1995: 232nd most popular.
1996: 283rd most popular.
1997: 295th most popular.
1998: 346th most popular.
1999: 406th most popular.
2000: 462nd most popular.
2001: 438th most popular.
2002: 546th most popular.
2003: 630th most popular.
2004: 699th most popular.

Selected Sources:
The Internet Movie Database - For information on Colleen Moore
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Mcleod and Freedman, 1995
The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present