Kathleen
KATH-leen
An Irish form of Catherine, traditionally tied to the idea of purity.
Meaning
The 19th-century sources connect Kathleen chiefly with Catherine/Katharine, whose Greek root is glossed as meaning “pure.” One excerpt notes an alternative tradition deriving it from the Ossianic Cathlinn or Gathlinn, interpreted as “beam of the wave,” but says Kathleen is rather an Irish diminutive of Catharine.
Origin
IrishGreekfeminine
Fun fact
A source calls Kathleen a “graceful Irish” form, contrasting it with the Scottish Katie.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.