Given name & surname · also Irish, Old Norse
Finn
“white, fair”·“one who is cool”·“a fair-haired man”
Finn is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “white, fair” (Old Norse), “one who is cool” (Irish), and “a fair-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Old NorseFinnr
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “white, fair” (Old Norse), “one who is cool” (Irish), and “a fair-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old Norse.
How it developed
In Danish usage, Finn developed from the Old Norse form FINNR.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Finn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 35,380
- 34,949 boys · 431 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 2,417 babies
- 2025
- 1,717
- #206 for boys · #7,244 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,702 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 206 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,382 in 2017. It also appeared in 15 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (160). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 24,643 as a first name in 2020; 20,121 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.
Finn’s family of names
In Norwegian Nynorsk usage, Finn shares a linguistic root with the Danish form FIND. In Norwegian usage, Finn has a related form in Fin. Finn has a related form in Fynn.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Finn has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
Old Norsewhere Finn comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 6
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 3
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 Finn
- Finn WolfhardCanadian actor and musician (born 2002)
- Finn E. KydlandNorwegian economistborn 1943
- Finn JonesBritish actorborn 1988
- Finn WittrockAmerican actorborn 1984
- Finn Christian JaggeNorwegian Alpine skier (1966–2020)
- Finn SurmanNew Zealand footballerborn 2003
- Finn ColeBritish actorborn 1995
- Finn Helgesenspeed skater (1919–2011)
- Finn KalvikNorwegian musicianborn 1947
Characters named Finn: Finn (fictional Star Wars character), Finn Hudson (Glee), Finn the Human (Adventure Time), Finn (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Finn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Killian
“a warrior woman; of the church” · “one who is small and fierce”
98% boys · 2% girls
Declan
In Irish use, Declan is used as a form of Gaelic.
99% boys · 1% girls
Kieran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
97% boys · 3% girls
Aidan
“one who is fiery; little fire” · “a fiery young man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Cormac
“a charioteer”
>99% boys
Gareth
“one who is gentle”
>99% boys
Angus
“one force; one strength; one choice”
>99% boys
Kevin
“a beloved and handsome man”
>99% boys