Given name
Athol
“from the new Ireland”
Athol is used as a given name. One interpretation is “from the new Ireland.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “from the new Ireland.”
Where it comes from
Athol possibly comes from Scottish Gaelic, and ultimately from Middle Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
Possibly from Scottish Gaelic Athall, from Middle Irish aith- (“second, further”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Athol through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 136
- 136 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1947. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 105 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Athol’s family of names
Athol has a related form in Athole. Athol has a related form in Atholl.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Athol
- Athol FugardSouth African playwright (1932–2025)
- Joe EarlNew Zealand rowerborn 1952
- Athol MeechCanadian rower (1907-1981)
- Athol RowanCricket player of South Africa. (1921-1998)
- Athol GuyAustralian musician and politicianborn 1940
- Athol TrollipSouth African politicianborn 1964
- Athol Townleypharmacist, naval officer and politician in Tasmania, Australia (1905–1963)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Athol, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Eifion
—
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