Show ContentsColleen Surname History

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Colleen is Mac Giolla Chuille. Cuille has been suggested to be an abbreviation of Mochuille, the name of a saint. However, other origins also exist for this name.

Early Origins of the Colleen family

The surname Colleen was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Colleen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colleen research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1667, 1743 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Colleen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colleen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Colleen has appeared in various documents spelled Cooley, Cooling, Cowley, Cully, Colly, McCooley, Coaley, Coolyng, Couley, Colley, McCowley, Cooleng, McCoolay, Coolay, Collay, Cullay, Cowleigh, Culleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Colleen family

More information is included under the topic Early Colleen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Colleen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Colleen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mary Colleen, aged 27, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"

Contemporary Notables of the name Colleen (post 1700) +

  • Sheila Colleen Bair (b. 1954), American Chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (2006-)
  • Colleen Hanafin, American production manager, known for The Wolverine (2013), The Bold Type (2017) and Exploding Sun
  • Colleen Elizabeth Mills (1955-2022), née Pedley, a New Zealand management academic specialising in communication and sensemaking in times of disruption, Professor of management at the University of Canterbury
  • Colleen M. Garry (b. 1962), American politician, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1995-)
  • Colleen House Engler (b. 1952), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives, 1974-76, 1983-86 (101st District 1974-76, 99th District 1983-86); Defeated, 1976 ; Candidate in primary for Governor of Michigan, 1986; Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1986
  • Colleen Bawn, Irish girl who inspired a prospector to name a mine after her, which later grew to be a town so named in Zimbabwe
  • Colleen Elizabeth Waata- Urlich ONZM (1939-2015), New Zealand ceramicist of Maori descent
  • Colleen McGee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 2000 1
  • Colleen Leigh Farrington (1936-2015), American model and nightclub singer, mother of Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Lane
  • Colleen Corby (b. 1947), American former model, known for her work with Sears, JC Penney, Montgomery Ward, and others


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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