boy's name
Finn
FIN
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 65,333
the United States
#206
2025 births
Finn is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "fair" or "white." It comes from the Gaelic fionn, and belonged to Fionn mac Cumhaill, the warrior-seer at the center of the Fenian cycle of Irish legend.
- Finn is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 2,417 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,931 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1918.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Finn over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 10 |
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 6 |
| 1950s | 30 |
| 1960s | 82 |
| 1970s | 33 |
| 1980s | 59 |
| 1990s | 411 |
| 2000s | 5,032 |
| 2010s | 17,808 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,904 |
What Finn means
Finn means fair, white or bright. In Irish the word describes fairness of hair or complexion and extends to brightness and clarity, so it carries a sense of the luminous rather than merely the pale.
Where Finn comes from
Finn anglicizes the Irish Fionn, from a root meaning white or fair. Fionn mac Cumhaill — anglicized as Finn McCool — leads the Fianna in Irish legend, and gained his wisdom by burning his thumb on the Salmon of Knowledge and putting it in his mouth. His name was reportedly a byname: he was born Deimne and called Fionn for his fair hair. A separate Old Norse Finnr, meaning a Sámi or a Finn, exists independently and is the source of the name in Scandinavia, so Finn has two unrelated origins that meet in the same spelling.
Finn in use
Our data shows Finn peaking in 2017 and still rising, at 74 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1918. The same fionn element gives Finley, Fiona and Fingal, which is why the group has risen together rather than individually.
How popular is Finn?
In 2025, Finn was given to 1,717 babies in the United States, ranking #206 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Finn 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.
Names that peaked alongside Finn
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Finn also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Finn over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Finn 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 Finn
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Finn — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Finn
What does the name Finn mean?
Finn means "fair" or "white," from the Irish fionn.
Who was Fionn mac Cumhaill?
The leader of the Fianna in Irish legend, who gained his wisdom by burning his thumb on the Salmon of Knowledge.
Is Finn Irish or Norse?
Both, separately. The Irish Fionn means fair; the Old Norse Finnr means a Sámi or a Finn. They are unrelated names at the same spelling.
How popular is the name Finn?
In 2025, Finn was given to 1,717 babies in the United States, ranking #206 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Finn a girl's or a boy's name?
Finn is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Finn?
Finn has 1 syllable.
When was Finn most popular?
Finn peaked in 2017, when 2,417 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Finn a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Finn currently ranks #15 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.