Eileen
Top 1000
About Eileen
The Gaelic Eileen was a mid-century darling that was on a long downward slide for decades. And then, in 2012, it took an unexpected pivot and has been inching upward in the US, perhaps inspired by similar sounding choices like Isla and Iris, along with retro choices like Valerie, Marjorie, and Dorothy.
Eileen is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Eibhlin or Aibhilin, which is technically a form of to Evelyn/Aveline, but is also sometimes considered part of the Helen family of names.
Currently in the US Top 700, it's one of those familiar yet underused choices that feels as surprising as it does down to earth.
Pronounced eye-LEEN.
As of October 2026, Eileen ranked #654 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #68 in 1943, Nameberry popularity #426.
Editor's take: The name Eileen is a girl's name of Gaelic, Scottish, Irish origin meaning "desired; or water, island".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #717 | 391 | 218.9 |
| 2015 | #697 | 408 | 228.6 |
| 2016 | #728 | 390 | 220.1 |
| 2017 | #692 | 421 | 243.9 |
| 2018 | #669 | 439 | 258.1 |
| 2019 | #701 | 413 | 246.1 |
| 2020 | #701 | 401 | 248.1 |
| 2021 | #671 | 440 | 268.2 |
| 2022 | #622 | 475 | 289.6 |
| 2023 | #662 | 444 | 276.7 |
| 2024 | #593 | 508 | 313.5 |
| 2025 | #654 | 437 | 271.9 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Eileen on lists
Famous Eileens
- Eileen Moore
British actress
- Eileen Heckart (born Anna Eileen Herbert)
American actress
- Eileen June Atkins
English actress
- (Verla) Eileen (Regina) Brennan
American actress
- Eileen Farrell
American opera singer
- Eileen Marie Collins
American astronaut
- Eilleen Regina Edwards
birth name of singer/songwriter Shania Twain
- Eileen Fisher
American clothing designer
- Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
Irish poet
- Eileen Myles
American poet
- Eileen Chang (born Zhang Ying)
Chinese novelist
- Eileen Davidson
American actress
- Eileen Bennett Whittingstall
British tennis player
- Eileen Alannah Joyce
Australian pianist
- (Eileen Evelyn) Greer Garson
Anglo,American actress
- Eileen Ivers
American fiddler
- Eileen "Eile Monty" Montgomery
American voice actor and singer
Eileen in pop culture
- Eileen Galvin
character in the video game Silent Hill 4
- Eileen
character in comic strip "Fox Trot"
- Eileen Codlin
character from "Extraordinary" by Adam Selzer
- Eileen Prince
mother of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series
- Eileen
the mole in animated series "Regular Show"
- Eileen Mildred Summers
character in computer game "Kathy Rain"
- Eileen
character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
- Eileen Tanaka
character in "Does My Head Look Big in This?" by Randa Abdel,Fattah
- "Come On Eileen
" song by Dexy's Midnight Runners
- "Eileen
" song by The Hush Sound (So Sudden)