boy's name
Declan
DEK-lan
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 93,411
the United States
#139
2025 births
Declan is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is uncertain. It anglicizes Deaglán, and "man of prayer" and "full of goodness" are both offered — neither securely, since the Old Irish original is not recoverable.
- Declan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2019, when 4,007 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,282 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1951.
Declan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 27 |
| 1960s | 70 |
| 1970s | 53 |
| 1980s | 145 |
| 1990s | 1,135 |
| 2000s | 7,280 |
| 2010s | 31,336 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 18,904 |
What Declan means
Declan has no confidently established meaning. Man of prayer and full of goodness are the readings usually given, both reconstructed from later forms rather than documented in the early record.
Where Declan comes from
Declan anglicizes the Irish Deaglán, borne by a fifth-century saint who is said to have preached in the Déisi territory of what is now County Waterford before Patrick's mission. The name's early form is not securely recorded, which is why the meanings offered are reconstructions. Declan was almost unused outside Ireland until the twentieth century and reached America largely through Irish-American families, where it climbed steeply from the 1990s — considerably faster than in Britain.
Declan in use
Our data shows Declan peaking in 2019 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1951 — remarkably late for a name attached to a fifth-century saint, which reflects how strictly it stayed within Ireland until recently.
How popular is Declan?
In 2025, Declan was given to 2,587 babies in the United States, ranking #139 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Declan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Declan is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Déclan | Déclan is a rare spelling of Declan, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Declan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Declan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Declan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Declan 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.
- Irish
- Declan
Sibling names for Declan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Declan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Declan
What does the name Declan mean?
The meaning is uncertain. "Man of prayer" and "full of goodness" are both offered, neither securely.
Who was Saint Declan?
A fifth-century Irish saint said to have preached in the Déisi territory of modern County Waterford, possibly before Patrick.
Is Declan a new name?
The saint is fifth-century, but the name stayed within Ireland until recently — our records first show it in 1951.
How popular is the name Declan?
In 2025, Declan was given to 2,587 babies in the United States, ranking #139 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Declan a girl's or a boy's name?
Declan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Declan most popular?
Declan peaked in 2019, when 4,007 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Declan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Declan currently ranks #139 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.