boy's name
Senan
SHEN-awn
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 3,708
Ireland
#38
2025 births
Senan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little old one," understood as little wise one. It belongs to Saint Senán of Scattery Island, a sixth-century monastic founder, and appears in the Irish records from 1964 onward.
- Senan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2019, when 168 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 356 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
Senan over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 30 |
| 1970s | 66 |
| 1980s | 66 |
| 1990s | 78 |
| 2000s | 489 |
| 2010s | 1,315 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 787 |
What Senan means
Senan means little old one, which in Irish naming reads as little wise one — age standing for wisdom rather than years. It is sen, old, with the diminutive -án.
Where Senan comes from
Senán comes from the Old Irish sen, old or ancient, with the diminutive suffix -án, and the compliment intended is wisdom rather than age. Its bearer is Saint Senán of Inis Cathaigh, Scattery Island in the Shannon estuary, a sixth-century abbot whose monastery became a major religious center and was later raided repeatedly by Vikings. He is a patron saint of the Shannon region and of Clare, and the round tower on Scattery still stands. The name is anglicized as Senan and occasionally as Sinan, and it should not be confused with the unrelated Turkish Sinan.
Senan in use
Senán is the exception among the accented Irish names in our data. Where Rían, Oisín and Róisín all far outrank their unaccented twins, here it is reversed: the unaccented Senan ranked 38th in Ireland in 2025 with 126 births while Senán stood at 199 with 24. So the preference for the fada, strong as it is across Irish naming, is not universal, and this name shows the opposite pattern clearly.
How popular is Senan?
In 2025, Senan was given to 126 babies in Ireland, ranking #38 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Senan 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 Senan is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Senán | Senán is Senan written with a fada, used in Ireland, where it ranks #199. | 159 |
Names that peaked alongside Senan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Senan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Senan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Senan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Senan 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 Senan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Senan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Senan
What does the name Senán mean?
Senán means "little old one," understood as little wise one.
Who was Saint Senán?
A sixth-century abbot who founded the monastery on Scattery Island in the Shannon estuary, and a patron saint of Clare.
How do you pronounce Senán?
SHEN-awn. The initial S sounds as sh before a slender vowel.
Is Senán or Senan more common in Ireland?
Unusually for an Irish name, the unaccented Senan is more common — 38th in 2025 against 199th for Senán.
How popular is the name Senan?
In 2025, Senan was given to 126 babies in Ireland, ranking #38 that year. It is a rare choice.
Is Senan a girl's or a boy's name?
Senan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Senan most popular?
Senan peaked in 2019, when 168 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Senan?
Senan is usually shortened to Sen.
Is Senan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Senan currently ranks #38 in Ireland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.