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Cathleen

Girl name · 19 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Cathleen: 19 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 5 births in 1977.

Cathleen is an Anglicized form of the Irish Caitlín, itself derived from the Greek Aikaterine, a name whose meaning has long been associated with the Greek word *katharos*, meaning “pure.” One of the most prominent bearers was the Irish-American actress Cathleen Nesbitt, whose stage and screen career spanned seven decades. The name also belongs to Cathleen Synge Morawetz, a celebrated Canadian mathematician and the first woman to deliver the American Mathematical Society’s Gibbs Lecture. While no major place is named directly after a Cathleen, the name shares its root with St Catherine’s, a name borne by numerous locations worldwide. Cathleen is the standard Irish spelling, but the variant Kathleen—popularised across Scotland and England—remains the more common choice, though Cathleen offers a subtle, lyrical alternative with its own Celtic charm.