boy's name
Odhran
OH-rawn
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 4,744
Northern Ireland
#40
2024 births
Odhran is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little dark one," from odhar, a dun or sallow color. It ranks 40th in Northern Ireland and belongs to the saint buried at Iona.
- Odhran is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2020, when 155 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 1,068 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1971.
Odhran over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1970s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 24 |
| 1980s | 36 |
| 1990s | 110 |
| 2000s | 543 |
| 2010s | 1,126 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 810 |
What Odhran means
Odhran means little dun one, or little sallow one, from the Irish odhar with a diminutive ending. The color word covers dun, grayish-brown and sallow rather than black, so the sense is closer to dusky than to dark.
Where Odhran comes from
Odhran anglicizes the Irish Odhrán, from odhar, dun, sallow or grayish-brown, with the diminutive -án. Its bearer is Saint Odhrán of Iona, a companion of Columba who died shortly after the community was founded in 563 and became the first buried in its graveyard, which still carries his name as the Reilig Odhráin — the burial ground of many early Scottish kings. A later and grimmer tradition, which no early source supports, has him volunteering to be buried alive so the chapel walls would stand. A second Saint Odhrán served as Patrick's charioteer and, by tradition, died in his place in an ambush. The name was effectively dormant for centuries and returned as part of the same Irish-language revival that lifted Ruairí and Cathal.
Odhran in use
Odhran ranks 40th in Northern Ireland with 50 births in 2024 and 93rd in Ireland with 110 births in 2025, so the North uses it more heavily relative to its size. Our records carry it only from 2020 with a peak in 2022 and mark it as new, which reflects when it entered the published ranking tables rather than when Irish parents first used it. Outside the island it barely registers.
How popular is Odhran?
In 2025, Odhran was given to 42 babies in Ireland, ranking #130 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Odhran 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 Odhran is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Odhrán | Odhrán is Odhran written with a fada, used in Ireland, where it ranks #93. | 526 |
| Ódhran | Ódhran is a rare spelling of Odhran, written with a fada and recorded 62 times, mostly in Ireland. | 62 |
Names that peaked alongside Odhran
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Odhran also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Odhran over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Odhran 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
- Oran
Sibling names for Odhran
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Odhran — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Odhran
What does the name Odhran mean?
Odhran means "little dun one," from the Irish odhar, a dun or sallow color.
How do you pronounce Odhran?
OH-rawn. The dh is silent, so it is two syllables.
Who was Saint Odhran?
A companion of Columba, the first buried at Iona, whose graveyard the Reilig Odhráin is named for him.
How popular is Odhran?
Fortieth in Northern Ireland and 93rd in Ireland.
Is Odhran a girl's or a boy's name?
Odhran is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
Is Odhran a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Odhran currently ranks #40 in Ireland. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.