Finnigan
Finnigan was the 2615th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 50 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 1591st with 103 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 696 places. More babies were named Finnigan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Finnegan) descendant of Fionnagán ('fair') · Irish
- Rank in 2025
- #2,615 boys, down 687 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 50boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016103 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,353babies recorded
What does the name Finnigan mean?
Finnigan is a spelling of Finnegan, pronounced the same way, so it shares Finnegan's meaning and origin.
Finnegan is an Irish surname from Ó Fionnagáin, "descendant of Fionnagán", according to Wiktionary. Fionnagán, Old Irish Finnacán, is a diminutive based on finn, "fair, white", the element DMNES also gives for Finlay. James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (1939), named after an Irish ballad, made the surname famous. Finnegan is a recent American boy's name.
Ó Fionnagáin (Irish, “descendant of Fionnagán”)finn (Old Irish, “fair, white”)
How sure is this? Probable. The finn element is standard; the record relies on Wiktionary for the surname form.
Related names: Finn, Finnian, Fionn.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Finnegan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Finlay', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Finnigan popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,615 | 50 |
| 2020 | #1,928 | 76 |
| 2010 | #2,337 | 55 |
| 2000 | #7,685 | 8 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Finnigan, counting every spelling?
Finnigan is a spelling of Finnegan, a name family that ranked #489 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,615 for Finnigan on its own. Together these spellings went to 619 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finnegan | 569 | #526 | 3,363 |
| Finnigan | 50 | #2,615 | 295 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Finnigan?
50 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Finnigan (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Finnigan born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 167 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Finnigan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Finnigan?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Finnigan are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 6 and 15. That makes Finnigan a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Finnigan by state
How common Finnigan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Finnigan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Finnigan, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Finnigan
What does Finnigan mean?
Finnigan is a spelling of Finnegan, which means “descendant of Fionnagán ('fair')” (Irish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Finnigan?
Finnigan was the 2615th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 50 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 1591st with 103 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 696 places. More babies were named Finnigan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Finnigan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Finnigan in the US.
Where is Finnigan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Finnigan was most common in Colorado (0.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Illinois and Washington.