Cullen
From an Irish surname, either O Cuilinn, from cuileann, 'holly', or Mac Cuilinn; Scottish place names of the same spelling also fed into it.
Cullen in 2025
Cullen was given to 200 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,210th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 16,577 babies born.
The history of Cullen
Cullen reached its highest point in 2010, when 685 babies were given the name, ranking 865th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 16,703 babies have been named Cullen. Half of them were born before 2005, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Cullen by decade
| Decade | Babies named Cullen | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 20 | 1,207 |
| 1890s | 29 | 2,009 |
| 1900s | 33 | 2,047 |
| 1910s | 243 | 2,177 |
| 1920s | 308 | 2,187 |
| 1930s | 226 | 2,481 |
| 1940s | 231 | 2,447 |
| 1950s | 250 | 2,975 |
| 1960s | 323 | 2,710 |
| 1970s | 657 | 2,096 |
| 1980s | 1,203 | 1,653 |
| 1990s | 3,246 | 1,060 |
| 2000s | 3,251 | 1,017 |
| 2010s | 5,105 | 865 |
| 2020s | 1,578 | 1,413 |
Where Cullen is heading
Cullen has fallen 60% over the past decade, from 497 babies in 2015 to 200 in 2025.
Names like Cullen
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Cullen.