Flynn
Flynn was the 828th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 654th with 418 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 133 places. More babies were named Flynn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning descendant of Flann, 'red' (Irish) · Irish
Say it FLIN /flɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #828 boys, down 169 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 299boys
- Girls and boys
- 5% girls, 95% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021418 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,160babies recorded
What does the name Flynn mean?
Flynn is an Irish surname, an anglicized form of Ó Floinn, descendant of Flann, according to Wiktionary. Flann was an Old Irish given name meaning red. Wiktionary also lists a suburb of Canberra, Australia, named after John Flynn. As a boys' name Flynn has been used in the US since 1913 and has become more common recently; girls' use began in the 1980s.
Ó Floinn (Irish, “descendant of Flann”)Flann (Old Irish, “red”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Flinn, Flann.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Flynn' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Flann' (Old Irish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Flynn popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,245 | #828 | 15 | 299 |
| 2020 | #8,574 | #659 | 12 | 398 |
| 2010 | #8,028 | #1,809 | 15 | 81 |
| 2000 | #10,166 | #2,065 | 9 | 49 |
| 1990 | — | #4,043 | — | 14 |
| 1980 | — | #2,760 | — | 17 |
| 1970 | — | #2,663 | — | 13 |
| 1960 | — | #2,251 | — | 14 |
| 1950 | — | #2,361 | — | 11 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | #4,204 | — | 5 |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Flynn, counting every spelling?
Flynn is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #808 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #828 for Flynn on its own. Together these spellings went to 299 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flynn | 299 | #828 | 1,764 |
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 Flynn?
299 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Flynn (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Flynn 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 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Flynn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Flynn?
About 6,400 people born in the US named Flynn are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 14. That makes Flynn 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.
Flynn by state
How common Flynn was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Idaho (3.6×), Utah (2.7×), Wisconsin (2.5×), Minnesota (2.3×), Iowa (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Flynn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Flynn, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Flynn · Sibling names for Flynn
Questions about the name Flynn
What does Flynn mean?
Flynn means “descendant of Flann, 'red' (Irish)” (Irish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Flynn?
Flynn was the 828th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 654th with 418 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 133 places. More babies were named Flynn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Flynn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 5% girls, 95% boys given the name Flynn in the US.
Where is Flynn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Flynn was most common in Idaho (0.73 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and Utah.