Given name & surname
Erin
“woman from Ireland”·“a man from Ireland”
Erin is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “woman from Ireland” and “a man from Ireland”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “woman from Ireland” and “a man from Ireland”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
Erin connects to the Aaron name family through Eron. Aaron is familiar from Hebrew biblical tradition, but its original language may have been Egyptian. Aaron’s place in a Hebrew narrative does not by itself establish a Hebrew etymology.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Erin connects to the Aaron name family through Eron. The shared background comes through Aaron: The traditional explanation links Aaron with a proposed Hebrew har-on, “mountain of strength.” That derivation is disputed, and a possible Egyptian background leaves the original formation unresolved.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Erin connects to the Aaron name family through Eron. The history of Aaron gives this family its wider story. In Exodus, Aaron speaks on Moses’s behalf and becomes the first high priest of the Israelites. The naming tradition also includes the Hebrew form Aharon and the Yiddish familiar form Arke.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Erin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 326,053
- 9,478 boys · 316,575 girls
- Most popular year
- 1983
- 15,050 babies
- 2025
- 349
- #833 for girls · #4,587 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −42%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 6% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 327 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 833 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 43.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 14,836 in 1983. It also appeared in 22 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (31). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 301,437 as a first name in 2020; 213 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Erin’s family of names
In English usage, Erin has a related form in Eryn. In English usage, Erin has a related form in Eryn. In English usage, Erin has a related form in Arin.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Erin
- Erin BrockovichAmerican environmental activistborn 1960
- Grey DeLisleAmerican voice actress and singer-songwriterborn 1973
- Erin MoriartyAmerican actressborn 1994
- Erin HeathertonAmerican model, actress, and entrepreneurborn 1989
- Erin MoranAmerican actress (1960-2017)
- Erin KellymanBritish actressborn 1998
- Erin SandersAmerican actressborn 1991
- Erin DanielsAmerican actressborn 1973
- Erin GrayAmerican model, talent agent, and actress (born 1950)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Erin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Erun
“one who is exalted”
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