Modern coinage blending Jo with the popular -leen suffix; popularized as a variant of Jolene.
Joleen is an American elaboration, softening the sturdy biblical Jo (from Joseph or Josephine, ultimately Hebrew for God will add) with the melodic -leen suffix that was fashionable in mid-twentieth-century name construction alongside Charlene, Marlene, and Darlene. The variant spelling distinguishes it slightly from the more widespread Jolene, giving it a quieter, less show-stopping silhouette while sharing the same musical sound. It is nearly impossible to discuss Joleen without acknowledging its near-twin Jolene, immortalized in Dolly Parton's achingly beautiful 1973 ballad.
Parton has said the name came partly from a fan, a red-haired bank teller who caught her husband's eye, and partly from a previous song she admired. The song's raw plea — begging a woman not to take her man simply because she can — turned Jolene into one of the most covered songs in country music history, and the name itself into a symbol of irresistible allure and feminine rivalry. The Joleen spelling carries that same atmospheric charge while wearing it a little more quietly.
Before the Parton era, Joleen and Jolene were simply pretty compound constructions popular in the American South and Midwest, the kinds of names that appear in church directories and yearbook photos from the 1950s and 60s. Today the name enjoys a gentle revival on the back of Americana nostalgia and the enduring cultural footprint of that song — chosen by parents who want something feminine and slightly retro without tipping into the overtly antique.