Fun Facts About the Name Quinlan
- More than 3 thousand babies named Quinlan: U.S. records list 3,295 babies given the name Quinlan from 1880 through 2025. Even 735 girls received the name Quinlan - about 1 girl for every 3 boys.
What Does the Name Quinlan Mean?
Quinlan is the English form of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Caoindealbháin, which is built on the personal name Caoindealbhán. That personal name is a diminutive of Caoindealbh, formed from two elements: caoin, meaning "comely, fair, or gentle," and dealbh, meaning "form or shape." The literal sense is therefore close to "fair of form," commonly rendered more loosely as "comely" or "handsome." The ending -án is a diminutive suffix, giving the sense "little fair-formed one." In Gaelic surnames the prefix Ó means "descendant of," so the surname identifies a family as the descendants of a bearer of that personal name. The meaning usually given for Quinlan today comes from this Gaelic derivation rather than from any later symbolic reading.
Quinlan Name History & Origins
The name belongs to the Gaelic-speaking world of Ireland, where the family name Ó Caoindealbháin was anglicized in forms such as Quinlan, O'Quinlan, and Quinlan. As English-language record-keeping and fixed hereditary surnames spread in Ireland, the Ó prefix was frequently dropped and the Gaelic sounds were simplified: the caoin- element came through as something like Quin-, while -dealbhán was shortened to -lan. The surname is associated chiefly with Munster, and it remains a familiar surname in Ireland and among Irish emigrant communities. From the surname came the given name Quinlan, which is used in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, as part of the wider practice of drawing first names from Irish family names.
How Popular is the Name Quinlan?
Quinlan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #1,176 in 2006.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,670 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2024 | #11,872 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #6,603 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #8,925 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #6,350 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2020 | #8,302 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #6,641 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #6,183 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #6,233 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #4,957 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #5,420 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #5,277 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2013 | #4,857 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2012 | #4,101 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2011 | #5,324 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #3,400 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2009 | #6,048 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2008 | #5,110 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #4,447 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2006 | #4,771 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2005 | #5,075 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #4,790 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2003 | #4,909 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #5,408 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #4,656 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2000 | #5,272 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #4,993 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #6,004 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #6,737 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #7,981 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #11,445 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #8,002 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #13,005 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #11,379 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #13,310 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,921 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #3,659 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2023 | #3,607 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #3,674 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #3,557 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #3,326 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2019 | #2,454 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2018 | #2,834 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2017 | #2,523 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2016 | #2,610 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 2015 | #2,474 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2014 | #2,338 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2013 | #2,196 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 2012 | #1,844 | 80 | 0.0042% |
| 2011 | #1,683 | 89 | 0.0047% |
| 2010 | #1,723 | 89 | 0.0046% |
| 2009 | #1,819 | 82 | 0.0041% |
| 2008 | #1,559 | 103 | 0.0050% |
| 2007 | #1,296 | 135 | 0.0065% |
| 2006 | #1,176 | 144 | 0.0070% |
| 2005 | #1,351 | 112 | 0.0056% |
| 2004 | #1,432 | 99 | 0.0050% |
| 2003 | #1,302 | 108 | 0.0055% |
| 2002 | #1,300 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 2001 | #1,314 | 100 | 0.0051% |
| 2000 | #1,226 | 110 | 0.0056% |
| 1999 | #1,200 | 107 | 0.0056% |
| 1998 | #1,366 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 1997 | #1,450 | 75 | 0.0040% |
| 1996 | #1,568 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 1995 | #1,726 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 1994 | #2,006 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #2,387 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1992 | #2,345 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1991 | #2,280 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1990 | #3,920 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #2,971 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #4,698 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #3,301 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #5,222 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #3,754 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #4,140 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #5,336 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #4,895 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #7,020 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,229 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #4,462 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,609 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Quinlan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a fine mind, and you like to talk. A relationship with unknown forces gives you secret strength and an air of mystery. You are deep. You seems to know what people think. You are diplomatic and know how to keep secrets. You attract money. You can be very unusual in habits and interests. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Quinlan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Quinlan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.