Quinn: meaning and UK use

What does Quinn mean?

Quinn comes through an anglicised Irish surname derived from the given name Conn. This is more precise than presenting chief as an established direct translation.

Language or name family covered

Irish surname name

Meaning or derivation

From the surname Ó Cuinn

Our browsing group

unisex; 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 — Quinn

Pronunciation and related forms

KWIN (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: Quin, Conn. 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 Quinn?

In 2025, 175 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Quinn, making it the 263rd most popular girls’ name. That is up 10 places on 2024, when it ranked 273rd. It is used for both sexes: 159 boys were also given the name (283rd for boys). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 421st, so it has climbed 158 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2022, at 217th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

263rd

2025 registrations

175

Best rank in this series

217th (2022)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Quinn: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	263	175
2024	273	174
2023	236	192
2022	217	220
2021	238	210
2020	248	188
2019	285	172
2018	277	173
2017	271	182
2016	331	150
2015	421	105
2014	465	93
2013	460	91
2012	504	86
2011	804	46
2010	1332	23
2009	5556	3
2008	3397	6
2007	5201	3
2006	—	Not published
2005	—	Not published
2004	—	Not published
2003	2436	7
2002	2868	5
2001	—	Not published
2000	3912	3
1999	—	Not published
1998	3848	3
1997	—	Not published
1996	3126	4

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 2,314. 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 Quinn

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.

• Remymodern, international · An English form of Rémy
• Reninternational, modern · Lotus or love with particular characters
• Riomodern, international · River in Spanish or Portuguese
• Amaniinternational · Wishes
• Blakemodern · From words for black or pale
• Edenmodern · Possibly delight or a plain

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 Quinn, 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.