Joleen
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially a variation of Jolene.
Name Census estimates that about 5,450 living Americans carry the first name Joleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Joleen today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joleen births was 1974 (187 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joleen. 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
5.5K
~ 1 in 62,891 Americans
Peak year
1974
187 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,373
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Joleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joleen from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,302 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joleen 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 Joleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Joleens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. California, Iowa, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Joleen, while South Dakota, New Mexico, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 124 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joleen
The given name Joleen has its roots in the English language, derived from the combination of the French name Jolene and the English name Joleen. The name first appeared in the early 20th century, gaining popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries.
Jolene is believed to have originated from the French word "joli," meaning "pretty" or "lovely." It was a popular name in France during the Middle Ages and later spread to other parts of Europe and the English-speaking world. Joleen, on the other hand, is a variation of the name Jolene, incorporating the English suffix "-een," which was commonly used to create diminutive forms of names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joleen can be found in the 1920s, although it remained relatively uncommon until the mid-20th century. Some notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Joleen include:
1. Joleen Baughman (1926-2008), an American actress and model who appeared in several films and television shows during the 1950s and 1960s.
2. Joleen Hausfeld (born 1950), an American author and educator known for her work in children's literature.
3. Joleen Teed (born 1962), a Canadian playwright and screenwriter who has written for various television shows and films.
4. Joleen Diaz (born 1972), an American artist and photographer acclaimed for her portraits and landscape photography.
5. Joleen Crickard (born 1978), an American basketball coach and former player who won multiple championships during her college and professional career.
While the name Joleen does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the French and English languages, reflecting the cultural exchange and influences between these two linguistic traditions.
People
Joleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joleen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Joleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,450 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joleen 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 62,891 US residents.
Is Joleen a common name?
We classify Joleen as "Rare". It ranks above 96.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,649 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Joleen was 1974, when 187 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joleen is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joleen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Joleen 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.