“Celtic” names span several languages, chiefly Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Cornish, and Manx, so there is no single pattern. Irish and Scottish Gaelic given names often derive from Old Irish elements such as cath “battle,” rí “king,” dubh “dark,” and art “bear,” with historic devotional prefixes like Máel or Gilla in older forms. Irish typically marks long vowels with acute accents, while Scottish Gaelic uses grave accents, and many names have established Anglicized spellings. Welsh features y and w as vowels and consonant pairs like ll, rh, and chw, with gendered endings such as -wen (feminine) and -wyn (masculine).
Christianization introduced many saints’ names and ecclesiastical elements across the Celtic regions. Breton names show French influence and diminutives like -ig. Medieval Welsh used ap or ab in patronymics and Gaelic regions used Mac or Ó for surnames, but these are not given-name prefixes. Modern usage includes revived medieval forms, simplified spellings without diacritics, and widespread cross-regional adoption.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur | Likely 'bear' or 'bear-like' (often interpreted as 'bear-man' or 'bear-king'), associated with strength and nobility | Celtic | Boy | 75,100 #1 | |
| Alan | Possibly "little rock" or "handsome/cheerful" (etymology uncertain) | Breton, Celtic | Boy | 21,478 #2 | |
| Caden | Derived from Celtic roots meaning 'battle' or 'little battle' - broadly 'fighter' | Celtic, Gaelic | Boy | 15,278 #3 | |
| Alana | From Alan: 'little rock' or 'handsome'; in Hawaiian sometimes interpreted as 'awakening' or 'beautiful'. | Celtic, Irish | Girl | 14,679 #4 | |
| Lana | Often 'light' (from Svetlana); in Arabic 'tender/soft'; in Hawaiian 'calm, serene'. | Arabic, Celtic, English, Hawaiian, Slavic | Girl | 14,388 #5 | |
| Brian | Noble, high; likely derived from a word meaning 'high' or 'hill' | Celtic, Irish | Boy | 13,170 #6 | |
| Sabrina | From the River Severn; associated with a legendary river princess | Celtic | Girl | 7,873 #7 | |
| Allen | “Little rock”; also interpreted as “handsome” or “cheerful” | Celtic | Boy | 6,145 #8 | |
| Arturo | Bear; bear-like, associated with strength and nobility | Celtic, Roman, Spanish | Boy | 4,344 #9 | |
| Allan | Possibly 'little rock' or 'handsome' (origins uncertain) | Celtic | Boy | 3,227 #10 | |
| Cedric | Derived from Cerdic; meaning uncertain - often given as 'bounty' or 'kindly'. | Celtic | Boy | 2,270 #11 | |
| Brice | Speckled; freckled | Breton, Celtic | Boy | 1,149 #12 | |
| Dev | God; deity; divine | Celtic, English, Sanskrit | Boy | 1,081 #13 | |
| Alanah | Feminine form of Alan: 'little rock' or 'handsome' (also sometimes rendered 'precious' or linked to Hebrew 'to ascend') | Celtic | Girl | 1,031 #14 | |
| Alanis | Feminine form of Alan; likely meaning 'little rock' or 'handsome/beautiful' | Celtic | Girl | 925 #15 | |
| Tristin | Tumult, noise | Celtic, English, Latin, Old French | Boy | 851 #16 | |
| Triston | Traditionally 'sorrowful' or 'sad' (from Latin 'tristis'); original Celtic etymology is uncertain. | Celtic, French | Boy | 816 #17 | |
| Alain | Little rock; handsome | Breton, Celtic | Boy | 638 #18 | |
| Kaedyn | Modern variant of Kaden meaning 'little battle' or 'fighter' | Celtic, English | Unisex | 618 #19 | |
| Niah | Variant of Nia - commonly interpreted as 'bright' (from Irish Niamh) or 'purpose' (Swahili). | Celtic, English, Swahili, Welsh | Girl | 536 #20 | |
| Imogene | Maiden, innocent | Celtic | Girl | 530 #21 | |
| Allana | Variant of Alana/Alanna - linked to the name Alan, often interpreted as 'little rock' or 'handsome'; sometimes given the sense 'harmony' or 'cheerful' in modern usage. | Celtic, Gaelic | Girl | 456 #22 | |
| Alany | Possibly 'orange' (Hawaiian) or a variant of Alan meaning 'little rock'/'handsome'. | Breton, Celtic, Hawaiian | Unisex | 422 #23 | |
| Rhen | Likely 'of the Rhine' (the river) or a short, gender-neutral form/variant of Ren/Wren. | Celtic, English, Germanic, Welsh | Unisex | 354 #24 | |
| Arthus | Derived from a Celtic root meaning 'bear' - often interpreted as 'bear', 'bear-like', or 'bear king' | Celtic | Boy | 304 #25 | |
| Ky | Varies by origin: Vietnamese 'Kỳ' can mean 'period/season', 'strange' or 'marvelous'; in English it's typically a short form of names like Kyle (meaning 'narrow strait') or Kyler. | Celtic, English, Scottish, Vietnamese, Welsh | Unisex | 300 #26 | |
| Kaydan | Derived from Gaelic elements meaning "little battle"; also used as a modern invented given name | Celtic | Unisex | 287 #27 | |
| Taran | Thunder | Celtic, Pictish, Welsh | Boy | 287 #28 | |
| Al | A short form whose meaning depends on the original name - commonly 'noble/bright' (Albert), 'elf-ruler' (Alfred), 'rock' (Alan), or 'defender of men' (Alexander). | Celtic, Greek | Boy | 275 #29 | |
| Art | Bear | Celtic | Boy | 255 #30 | |
| Ardyn | Likely “from Arden” - interpreted as “from the high/lofty place” or “of the valley” | Celtic, English | Unisex | 250 #31 | |
| Alania | Feminine form of Alan/Alana - commonly associated with 'little rock' or 'noble'; can also mean 'from Alania' (land of the Alans). | Celtic, Gaelic | Girl | 212 #32 | |
| Merryn | Of the sea / sea-born | Celtic, Cornish | Girl | 193 #33 | |
| Artis | Bear | Celtic, Latin, Latvian | Boy | 183 #34 | |
| Sabrin | Possibly from Arabic 'sabr' meaning 'patience' or a variant of Sabrina, traditionally interpreted as 'from the River Severn'. | Arabic, Celtic, Latin | Girl | 153 #35 | |
| Brion | Noble, high, exalted | Celtic, Irish | Boy | 134 #36 | |
| Allyn | Traditionally interpreted as 'little rock' or 'handsome' | Celtic | Unisex | 127 #37 | |
| Bran | Raven; crow | Celtic, Irish, Welsh | Boy | 92 #38 | |
| Briann | Noble, high; also associated with 'hill' or 'exalted' | Celtic, Irish | Unisex | 79 #39 | |
| Alano | Derived from Alan - commonly interpreted as 'little rock' or 'handsome'; sometimes associated with 'cheerful' or the historical Alans | Celtic | Boy | 58 #40 | |
| Kordelia | Possibly 'heart' or 'jewel of the sea', associated with love and devotion | Celtic | Girl | 54 #41 | |
| Isel | Varies by origin - often associated with 'pledged to God' (from Isabel) or 'unique' (if linked to Nahuatl Izel); exact meaning depends on which root is intended. | Celtic, Nahuatl, Spanish | Girl | 26 #42 | |
| Treden | Likely 'homestead/settlement' or 'homestead by the valley' (interpretation of 'Tre' + 'den') | Celtic | Unisex | 11 #43 | |
| Bianna | Likely 'white' (if derived from Bianca) or 'noble/strong' (if derived from Brianna). | Celtic, Latin | Girl | 10 #44 | |
| Bryse | Likely 'speckled' or 'freckled'. | Celtic, Scottish | Boy | 9 #45 | |
| Aonghas | From elements meaning 'one' + 'choice/strength' - often given as 'one choice' or 'unique strength'. | Celtic, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 7 #46 | |
| Morjana | Likely 'coral' (from Arabic Murjāna). In other contexts it may be treated as a form of Marjana (Slavic) or linked to Morgana/Morgan ('sea-born'/'sea circle'). | Arabic, Celtic, Slavic | Girl | 7 #47 | |
| Gaell | ‘Gael’ - a member of the Gaelic people; ‘Gaelic’ or ‘Irish/Scottish person’ | Breton, Celtic | Boy | 6 #48 | |
| Dover | 'The waters' - referring to a river, harbour or water | Celtic, English | Unisex | 5 #49 | |
| Ervey | Derived from Hervé/Harvey - 'battle-worthy' or 'strong in battle' | Celtic, English, French | Boy | 5 #50 |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Celtic-origin name in our dataset.
