Kathleen is a female given name, used in English- and Irish-language communities. Sometimes spelled '' Cathleen'', it is an Anglicized form of ''Caitlín'', the Irish form of ''Cateline'', which was the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

form of ''Catherine''. It ultimately derives from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

name ''Aikaterine'', the meaning of which is highly debated (see Katherine). Kathleen was the 8th most popular girls' name in Ireland in 1911, but by 1965 it had sunk to number 18.

Literature

* Kathleen Raine, British poet *

Kathleen Winsor Kathleen Winsor (October 16, 1919 – May 26, 2003) was an American author. She is best known for her first work, the 1944 historical novel '' Forever Amber''. The novel, racy for its time, became a runaway bestseller even as it drew criticism f ...

, American author * ''

The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics ''The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics'' (1892) is the second poetry collection of W. B. Yeats. It includes the play '' The Countess Kathleen'' and group of shorter lyrics that Yeats would later collect under the title of ''The R ...

'' (1892), the second poetry collection of William Butler Yeats * Joanne Kathleen (J. K.) Rowling, British author *

Kathleen Vereecken Kathleen Vereecken (born 14 December 1962) is a Belgian writer of novels, children's literature and non-fiction. She has won several awards for her work, including the Boekenleeuw (2010 and 2019) and Woutertje Pieterse Prijs (2019). Early life ...

, Belgian writer * Kathleen O'Meara, Irish-French Catholic writer

Military

Kathleen Best Colonel Matron Kathleen Annie Louise Best, (28 August 1910 – 15 November 1957) was the first director of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps. Early life Best was born at Summer Hill in Sydney on 28 August 1910. Best was educated in Sy ...

, director of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps *

Kathleen Soliah Sara Jane Olson (born Kathleen Ann Soliah on January 16, 1947) is an American far-left activist who was convicted of an attempted murder charge related to a failed bombing plot and a second-degree murder charge related to a botched bank robbery ...

, member of the Symbionese Liberation Army

Music

Kathleen Sergerie Kathleen may refer to: People * Kathleen (given name) * Kathleen (singer), Canadian pop singer Places * Kathleen, Alberta, Canada * Kathleen, Georgia, United States * Kathleen, Florida, United States * Kathleen High School (Lakeland, Florida), ...

, Québécoise pop singer * Kathleen Battle, American soprano *

Kathleen de Leon Jones Kathleen de Leon Jones (born Kathleen de León on 1 September 1977) is a Filipina-born Australian actress, dancer, and singer. She was an original cast member of the ARIA Award winning Australian children's musical group Hi-5. She left Hi-5 i ...

, Filipino-Australian singer, dancer, actress and television performer, Hi-5 * Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna, Dominican-American R&B singer * Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer-songwriter *

Kathleen Ferrier Kathleen Mary Ferrier, CBE (22 April 19128 October 1953) was an English contralto singer who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the c ...

, British contralto, after whom the prestigious

Kathleen Ferrier Award The Kathleen Ferrier Award is a prestigious contest for Opera singers held each April in London, England. The first competition was held in 1956. According to the '' Telegraph'', the competition has a record of "spotting winners". Originally c ...

is named * Kathleen Hanna, American musician

Peeresses

* Kathleen Pelham-Clinton, Duchess of Newcastle, dog breeder * Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and a sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy *

Kathleen Simon, Viscountess Simon Kathleen Rochard Simon, Viscountess Simon, DBE (formerly Manning, Harvey; 23 September 1869 – 27 March 1955) was an Anglo-Irish anti-slavery activist. She was inspired to research slavery after living in Tennessee with her first husband, an ...

, abolitionist * Kathleen Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow, British peer * Kathleen Manners, Duchess of Rutland * Kathleen Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn

Politics

* Kathleen Fleur Anderson, British politician, known as Fleur Anderson * Kathleen Blanco, former Governor of Louisiana *

Kathleen Brown Kathleen Lynn Brown (born September 25, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 29th Treasurer of California from 1991 to 1995. Brown unsuccessfully ran for Governor of California in the 1994 election. Early life and ed ...

, Californian politician *

Kathalijne Buitenweg Dr. Kathalijne Maria Buitenweg (born 27 March 1970) is a Dutch politician for the GreenLeft who served as a member of the House of Representatives between 2017 and 2021. Between 1999 and 2009, she was a Member of the European Parliament, an ...

, Dutch politician * Kathleen (Kathy) Hochul, Governor of New York *

Kathleen Kane Kathleen Granahan Kane (born Kathleen Margaret Granahan; June 14, 1966) is an American former politician and lawyer who served as the 48th Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 2013 until her resignation in 2016 following her conviction for per ...

, Pennsylvania Attorney General convicted of felony perjury *

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951) is an American attorney who was the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland in 2002. She was the first female lieutenant ...

, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland * Kathleen Lynch, Irish politician * Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture of the United States * Kathleen Ollerenshaw, British mathematician and politician * Kathleen O'Meara, Irish politician * Kathleen Sebelius, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, former Governor of Kansas * Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

Science

* Kathleen Hall Jamieson, American professor of communications *

Kathleen R. Johnson Kathleen R. Johnson is an American member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians who is a geologist and paleoclimatologist. Her research focuses on reconstructing past climate change with speleothems, on active cave monitori ...

, American paleoclimatologist *

Kathleen Kenyon Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She led excavations of Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho, from 1952 to 1958, and has been call ...

, British archaeologist * Kathleen Lamborn, American biostatistician * Kathleen Lonsdale, British crystallographer * Kathleen Madden, American mathematician * Kathleen Martínez, Dominican archaeologist, lawyer, and diplomat * Kathleen I. Pritchard, Canadian oncologist *

Kathleen Treseder Kathleen Kay Treseder is an American ecologist who specializes in the interplay between global climate change and fungal ecology. She also serves as a member of the Irvine City Council after being elected to the position in 2022. She is currently ...

, American ecologist

Sports

* Kathleen Comley, British Paralympic archer * Kathleen O'Kelly-Kennedy, Australian wheelchair basketball player *

Kathleen Smet Kathleen Smet (born 19 January 1970, in Beveren) is an athlete from Belgium who competes in triathlon, becoming European champion in 2000 and 2002. She competes in Olympic and Long Distance Triathlons. Smet competed at the first Olympic triathlo ...

, Belgian triathlete * Kathleen Ledecky, American Olympic swimmer

Television and film

* Kathleen Barr, Canadian voice actress * Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates, American actress *

Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost in ...

, American character actress * Kate Hackett, American actress (Kathleen Hackett) * Kathleen Harrison, British character actress * Kathleen Hepburn, Canadian screenwriter and film director * Kathleen Kennedy, movie producer *

, retired Filipino-Australian singer and actress * Kathleen Madigan, American Stand-up Comedian * Kathleen McDermott, Scottish actress * Kathleen Noone, American actress * Kathleen Quinlan, American actress * Kathleen Robertson, Canadian actress *

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely k ...

, American film actress, director, and producer *

Kathleen Warner Kathleen Warner (née Davis (1903 – December 1996), was a Trinidadian actress and radio personality, also known as "Aunty Kay". She is best remembered as the long-time host of the popular children's programme ''The Aunty Kay Show'', which aired ...

(born Davis), Trinidadian actress and radio personality, also known as "Aunty Kay" * Kathleen York, American actress *

Kathy Griffin Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American comedian and actress who has starred in television comedy specials and has released comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Griffin won Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality show '' Kathy ...

(born Kathleen Mary Griffin), American comedian, actress, and television personality * Kate Walsh (born Kathleen Erin Walsh), American actress

Other

* Kathleen Mary Burrow, Australian physiotherapist, businesswoman, Catholic lay leader * Kathleen O'Toole, police commissioner of Boston, Massachusetts *

Kathleen Salmond Kathleen Lucy Salmond (1895 – 5 May 1946) was a New Zealand artist, born in Dunedin. Early life and education Salmond was born in Dunedin, the eldest daughter of architect Louis Salmond. She studied at the Dunedin Art School (now Otago P ...

, New Zealand artist *

Kathleen Wrasama Kathleen Wrasama (her name sometimes given as Kathleen Warsama) was an Ethiopian-born British community organiser. As a child she moved to England and became a founding member of the Stepney Coloured Peoples Association, an organisation working to ...

, Ethiopian-born British community organiser * Kathleen Zellner, American attorney

References

{{given name English feminine given names Irish feminine given names