Koreen
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "pious".
Name Census estimates that about 541 living Americans carry the first name Koreen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Koreen today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Koreen births was 1969 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Koreen. 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
541
~ 1 in 633,557 Americans
Peak year
1969
28 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
2006 SSA rank
#18,735
Tracked since 1941
Census
Koreen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 678 people with the first name Koreen, which placed it at #16,581 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,581
National first-name rank
People counted
678
678 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
74.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koreen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Koreen is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Koreen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Koreen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 508
- Black or African American11.7% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 28
- Two or more races3.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Popularity
Koreen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Koreen from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 219 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Koreen 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 Koreen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Koreens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Michigan, New York recorded the most babies named Koreen, while New York, Michigan, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Koreen
The given name Koreen has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the word "curan," which means "hero" or "champion." It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when Scottish clans played a significant role in the region's history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koreen can be found in the ancient Scottish ballads and folklore, where it was often associated with brave warriors and leaders. The name gained popularity among the Highland clans, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Koreen MacLeod was mentioned in the historical records of the Isle of Skye. He was a renowned chieftain of the Clan MacLeod and played a crucial role in the clan's conflicts and territorial disputes during that time.
During the 16th century, a Scottish poet named Koreen Mackenzie gained recognition for her poignant works, which celebrated the beauty of the Highlands and the enduring spirit of the Scottish people. Her poems were widely circulated and admired, contributing to the name's cultural significance.
In the 18th century, Koreen Douglas, a Scottish soldier and explorer, embarked on several expeditions to the Americas. He is remembered for his detailed accounts of the Indigenous peoples he encountered and his efforts to establish peaceful relations with them.
Another notable figure bearing the name Koreen was Koreen Campbell, a 19th-century Scottish suffragist and advocate for women's rights. She was a prominent voice in the movement and worked tirelessly to promote equal opportunities for women in education and employment.
Throughout history, the name Koreen has been associated with strength, courage, and a connection to the rich cultural heritage of Scotland. While its popularity may have fluctuated over time, it remains a distinctive and meaningful name with deep roots in the Scottish tradition.
People
Koreen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Koreen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Koreen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Koreen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 541 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Koreen 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 633,557 US residents.
Is Koreen a common name?
We classify Koreen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 654 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Koreen most popular?
The single biggest year for Koreen was 1969, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Koreen is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Koreen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 678 people with the name Koreen, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,581 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Koreen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Koreen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Koreen leans strongly female. 656 people counted with this name were female (96.3%), compared with 25 male bearers (3.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Koreen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Koreen is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Koreen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Koreen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (508 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Koreen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Koreen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Koreen 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.
Is Koreen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Koreen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Koreen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Koreen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.