Finn: meaning and UK use

What does Finn mean?

This entry covers the Irish and anglicised form related to Fionn. A separate Scandinavian name has the same spelling.

Language or name family covered

Irish name family; other origins exist

Meaning or derivation

An Irish form of Fionn

Our browsing group

boy; modern, international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Finn

Pronunciation and related forms

FIN (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Fionn, Fynn. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Finn?

In 2025, 706 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Finn, making it the 74th most popular boys’ name. That is up 9 places on 2024, when it ranked 83rd. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 126th, so it has climbed 52 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2021, at 72nd. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

74th

2025 registrations

706

Best rank in this series

72nd (2021)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Finn: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	74	706
2024	83	637
2023	84	613
2022	82	702
2021	72	788
2020	73	757
2019	86	707
2018	76	817
2017	96	672
2016	100	650
2015	126	512
2014	128	488
2013	116	511
2012	131	469
2011	136	469
2010	131	462
2009	126	471
2008	119	471
2007	107	547
2006	104	564
2005	105	538
2004	106	517
2003	119	428
2002	124	376
2001	136	313
2000	135	280
1999	140	247
1998	195	168
1997	234	129
1996	261	110

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 15,119. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Finn

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Aaravinternational, modern · Crying, howling or noise
• Kaimodern, international · Sea in the Hawaiian entry
• Lucainternational, modern · A form of Lucas or Luke
• Raffertymodern, international · Through Rabhartach, meaning flood tide
• Vihaaninternational, modern · Dawn or morning
• Zaynmodern, international · Beauty or grace

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Finn, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.