Ileen
Feminine English name of disputed origin, possibly from the Hebrew Eileen meaning "tree".
Name Census estimates that about 1,057 living Americans carry the first name Ileen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ileen today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ileen births was 1924 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ileen. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 324,271 Americans
Peak year
1924
51 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,089
Tracked since 1895
Popularity
Ileen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ileen from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 422 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ileen 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 Ileen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ileens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Ileen, while Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ileen
The name Ileen is a feminine given name that has its origins in the Greek language. It is derived from the Greek name Eileen, which itself is a variation of the Hebrew name Eliana, meaning "God has answered." The earliest known use of the name Ileen dates back to the early 20th century, though it is possible that it was used earlier than that in some regions.
In ancient Greek mythology, there is a reference to a character named Eilenis, who was a minor goddess associated with the moon and fertility. While this is not a direct connection to the name Ileen, it does suggest that names with similar roots have been present in Greek culture for a long time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ileen can be found in the 1910 United States Census, where a few individuals were listed with this name. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that the name gained wider popularity, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ileen. One of the earliest was Ileen Mavourneen Wucker, an American writer and journalist who lived from 1917 to 2008. She is best known for her work as a war correspondent during World War II and for her coverage of the Nuremberg Trials.
Another notable Ileen was Ileen Getz, an American actress born in 1932. She had a successful career on stage and in television, appearing in various Broadway productions and popular TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s.
In the literary world, Ileen Maisel was an American author and academic who lived from 1930 to 2015. She wrote several novels and short stories, as well as works of literary criticism and analysis.
Ileen Denney, born in 1937, was an American businesswoman and entrepreneur. She co-founded the popular clothing brand Denney & Company and was known for her innovative approach to fashion design and marketing.
Lastly, Ileen Cuccaro is a contemporary American artist and sculptor, born in 1959. Her works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States, and she is known for her unique style and exploration of various materials and techniques.
People
Ileen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ileen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ileen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ileen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,057 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ileen 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 324,271 US residents.
Is Ileen a common name?
We classify Ileen as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ileen most popular?
The single biggest year for Ileen was 1924, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ileen is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ileen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ileen 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.