boy's name
Cathal
KA-hal
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 9,119
Ireland
#92
2025 births
Cathal is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "battle rule," from cath and val. It ranks 92nd in Ireland, and it is the name of the man who led the Dublin Brigade in the Easter Rising.
- Cathal is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1997, when 243 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 36,861 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
Cathal over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s to 2020s. Cathal is more popular in Northern Ireland — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 303 |
| 1970s | 1,112 |
| 1980s | 1,279 |
| 1990s | 1,731 |
| 2000s | 2,046 |
| 2010s | 1,415 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 470 |
What Cathal means
Cathal means battle rule, or strong in battle. The first element cath is a battle and the second is generally read as rule or strength, so the compound describes command in war rather than fighting alone.
Where Cathal comes from
Cathal is the Irish Cathal, from cath, battle, and a second element usually identified as val, rule or power. It was a common name among Irish kings — Cathal mac Finguine was an eighth-century king of Munster, and Cathal Crobhderg Ua Conchobair, Cathal of the Red Hand, was the last king of Connacht before the Norman settlement. Its modern political weight comes from Cathal Brugha, born Charles William St John Burgess, who gaelicized his name, fought in the Easter Rising, served as the first Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil and was killed in the Civil War in 1922. Cathal is frequently paired with Charles in English, which is a pairing by sound alone — Charles is Germanic, from a word meaning a free man. The two have nothing in common.
Cathal in use
Cathal ranks 92nd in Ireland with 64 births in 2025 and 142nd in Northern Ireland, and our records place its peak in 2000 and carry it from 1998. It does not appear in the British or American tables. The Irish spelling has never required anglicizing, which is unusual for a name of its age and is part of why it survived the centuries when Irish names were being replaced wholesale.
How popular is Cathal?
In 2024, Cathal was given to 16 babies in England and Wales, ranking #142 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Cathal is used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
How Cathal is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Cáthal | Cáthal is a rare spelling of Cathal, written with a fada and recorded 4 times, mostly in Ireland. | 4 |
Names that peaked alongside Cathal
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cathal also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cathal over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Cathal in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Cathal
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cathal — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cathal
What does the name Cathal mean?
Cathal means "battle rule," from cath, a battle, and an element meaning rule or power.
How do you pronounce Cathal?
KA-hal. The th is a soft h, not the English th.
Is Cathal the Irish for Charles?
It is paired with it, but only by sound. Charles is Germanic and means a free man.
Who was Cathal Brugha?
A leader in the Easter Rising and the first Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, killed in the Civil War in 1922.
How popular is the name Cathal?
In 2024, Cathal was given to 16 babies in England and Wales, ranking #142 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Cathal a girl's or a boy's name?
Cathal is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Cathal most popular?
Cathal peaked in 1997, when 243 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Cathal a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cathal currently ranks #92 in Ireland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.