Corleen
A feminine name of Irish origin, a variant of Cora meaning "maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 61 living Americans carry the first name Corleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Corleen today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Corleen births was 1954 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Corleen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Corleen is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Corleens were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Corleen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
61
~ 1 in 5,618,924 Americans
Peak year
1954
9 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1967 SSA rank
#5,565
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Corleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Corleen from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 41 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Corleen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Corleen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Corleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Corleen
The name Corleen is a feminine given name of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "cailín," which translates to "young woman" or "girl." It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages in Ireland, where it was used as a diminutive form of the name Cora or Corah.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Corleen can be traced back to the 16th century in Irish historical records and literature. One notable example is found in the ancient Irish manuscript known as the "Book of Invasions," which chronicles the legendary origins and migrations of the Irish people. This text mentions a character named Corleen, who is believed to have been a prominent figure in early Irish folklore.
Throughout the centuries, the name Corleen has been borne by several notable individuals, including Corleen Fitzpatrick (1923-2012), an Irish actress and singer who gained fame for her performances on stage and in films during the mid-20th century. Another famous Corleen was Corleen Barrett (1904-1982), an American businesswoman and philanthropist who co-founded the Camellia City Bakery in Sacramento, California.
In the realm of literature, the name Corleen has been immortalized in works such as "The Emerald Isle," a novel by Irish author James A. Michener, published in 1956. The book features a character named Corleen O'Malley, a young Irish woman navigating the complexities of life and love in the mid-20th century.
Other notable individuals with the name Corleen include Corleen Clover (1935-2018), an American singer and actress who appeared in numerous television shows and films during the 1960s and 1970s, and Corleen Borg (born 1954), a Canadian artist and sculptor known for her abstract and minimalist works.
While the name Corleen may have fallen out of widespread use in recent times, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and the enduring legacy of Gaelic language and traditions.
People
Corleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Corleen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Corleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Corleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 61 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Corleen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,618,924 US residents.
Is Corleen a common name?
We classify Corleen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Corleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Corleen was 1954, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Corleen is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Corleen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Corleen in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.