boy's name
Séadhna
SHAY-nuh (Irish)
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (Ireland)
- Births on record 28
Ireland
#519
2025 births
Séadhna is an Irish boy's name usually read as "traveler" or "wayfarer." It's an old Gaelic name, related to the word for a path, and it's best known from Séadna, the 1904 novel by Peadar Ua Laoghaire, a landmark of modern Irish writing.
- Séadhna is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2025, when 6 babies were given the name.
- It is a recent arrival in the birth records in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 7,476 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 2019.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Séadhna Over Time
Births per decade in Ireland, 2010s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 2010s | 3 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12 |
What Séadhna Means
Séadhna is usually taken to mean a traveler, one who keeps to the road. Thinkbabynames gives wayfarer, and the sense fits an Old Irish word for a path or journey that's found in early names.
Where Séadhna Comes From
The name goes back to Old Irish forms such as Sétna and Sétnae, carried by early saints and kings, and it's linked with sét, a path or way. Modern spellings vary between Séadna and Séadhna, and the dh is silent. Gaelchultur also lists it among forms connected to Séaghdha, a separate name from a word for noble or favored, which shows how close the two families of names can sound. Peadar Ua Laoghaire's novel Séadna, about a shoemaker who sells his soul, kept it in Irish consciousness for generations of schoolchildren.
Séadhna in Use
The name is very rare outside Ireland, and it has appeared in birth records in Ireland and Northern Ireland only in the last few years, part of a return to Gaelic names. It's generally pronounced SHAY-nah.
How Popular Is Séadhna?
In 2025, Séadhna was given to 6 babies in Ireland, ranking #519 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in Ireland.
Where Séadhna 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 Séadhna Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Seadhna | Seadhna is a spelling of Séadhna, used in Northern Ireland, where it ranks #345. | 13 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Séadhna
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Séadhna Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Séadhna over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Séadhna
- Irish SHAY-nuh
Sibling Names for Séadhna
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Séadhna — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Séadhna
What does the name Séadhna mean?
It's usually read as traveler or wayfarer.
How do you pronounce Séadhna?
SHAY-nuh. The dh is silent.
Is Séadhna a boy's or a girl's name?
It's a boy's name, despite the -a ending.
How many syllables are in Séadhna?
Séadhna has 2 syllables.
When was Séadhna most popular?
Séadhna peaked in 2025, when 6 babies were given the name. It is a recent arrival in the birth records.
Is Séadhna a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Séadhna currently ranks #345 in Ireland. It is a recent arrival in the birth records. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.