Odhran

maleIrish (medieval)

From Old Irish Odrán, combining 'odar' (dun-coloured, greyish-brown, tan) with a diminutive suffix — 'little dun/ashen one'. Borne by St Patrick's charioteer Odrán and by St Odhrán (Oran) of Iona, companion of St Columba.

Origin: Irish (medieval)

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1971 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #35 in Northern Ireland in 2022. See regions.

Odhran: Recorded since 1971, it reached #35 in 2022, and it stood at #130 in 2025.

4registrars recorded it
102times a registrar ranked it
55years from first to last
#35highest recorded position
20groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Odhran's record

Held a top-100 place for 27 years running. Names by top-100 run
Moved 110 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

OH-rawn/ˈəu̯.ɾˠaːnˠ/

Compare Odhran Run Name Checker on Odhran

Data Confidence

Evidence: HighCompleteness: CompleteEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (4) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Irish (medieval)
Meaning: From Old Irish Odrán, combining 'odar' (dun-coloured, greyish-brown, tan) with a diminutive suffix — 'little dun/ashen one'. Borne by St Patrick's charioteer Odrán and by St Odhrán (Oran) of Iona, companion of St Columba.
Pronunciation: OH-rawn
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Irish (medieval)

Popularity

Region

Rising

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#2863
1999	#2425
2003	#1771
2005	#2418
2006	#2870
2007	#3095
2008	#3158
2009	#3744
2010	#2400
2011	#2892
2012	#1852
2013	#2660
2014	#2964
2015	#1511
2016	#1704
2017	#1703
2018	#1382
2019	#1506
2020	#1314
2021	#1139
2022	#1420
2023	#1461
2024	#1000
2025	#1307

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 49 of the 55 years from 1971 to 2025.

In 2025: #130 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #1307 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 1971–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1971
First recorded at #257 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1307 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

Odhran appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 49 years beginning in 1971, and has registered 2,061 births with the name.

Odhran across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Odhran's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#257 (1971)	#58 (2016)	#130 (2025)	49 of 55	2,061 (1971–2025)	128 (2016)
England and Wales · Boys	#2863 (1996)	#1000 (2024)	#1307 (2025)	24 of 30	286 (1996–2025)	30 (2024)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#118 (1997)	#35 (2022)	#40 (2024)	28 of 28	1,626 (1997–2024)	78 (2008)

Odhran by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Odhran in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1970s	24	5 of 10	5
1980s	36	8 of 10	5
1990s	110	10 of 10	11
2000s	543	10 of 10	54
2010sbusiest	993	10 of 10	99
2020s	355	6 of 10	59

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 2010s were its busiest decade, averaging 99 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 2017 and 2018, when recorded births fell by 64, from 111 to 47.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Odhran appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 4 registrars between 1971 and 2025, ranked in 49 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #35, first reached in 2022.

It held a top-100 place in 27 years, 27 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 128 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 2016.

Its record falls into 6 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 2 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 53 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Odhran was ranked #35 in Northern Ireland · Boys in 2022. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Adam#31
Daithi#34
Ezra#35
Michael#35
George#38
Reuben#39
Henry#40
Isaac#40

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Odessa · #2073, 14y
Odette · #391, 29y
Odin · #31, 59y
Odysseas · #2488, 12y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 4 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Shelley · #37, 53y
Rochelle · #32, 52y
Faye · #43, 49y
Conan · #24, 54y

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1970 and 1979.

Lukasz · #34, 51y
Trent · #36, 54y
Billie · #33, 35y
Esme · #33, 33y

Odhran and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Odhran without appearing here.

Odhran moved ahead of

Arne
In 2014 they stood at #3095 and #3095 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2015 that had become #1511 and #4747.
Erin
In 2011 they stood at #2892 and #2892 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #1852 and #4805.
Rodney
In 2011 they stood at #2892 and #2613 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #1852 and #4805.
Ole
In 2014 they stood at #2964 and #2459 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2015 that had become #1511 and #3908.

Moved ahead of Odhran

Arlo
In 2002 they stood at #2425 and #2943 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2003 that had become #1771 and #1188.
Rune
In 2024 they stood at #1000 and #1460 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2025 that had become #1307 and #1124.
Leon
In 1972 they stood at #257 and #304 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1973 that had become #268 and #215.
Joshua
In 1983 they stood at #282 and #330 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1984 that had become #274 and #224.

Moved the opposite way to Odhran

Denis
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 while Denis went from #30 to #232.
Erik
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 while Erik went from #304 to #468.
Frank
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 while Frank went from #174 to #286.
George
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 while George went from #74 to #112.

Moved the same way as Odhran

Aaron
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 and Aaron from #204 to #71.
Adam
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 and Adam from #164 to #20.
Alexander
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 and Alexander from #120 to #55.
Benjamin
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Odhran went from #257 to #130 and Benjamin from #184 to #83.

Meaning & Origin

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Irish (medieval)

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Odhran is officially recorded

4 official registrars have recorded Odhran, between 1971 and 2025, in 49 of those 55 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Republic of Ireland	1971–2025	49	#58 in 2016
England and Wales	1996–2025	24	#1000 in 2024
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#35 in 2022
Scotland	2024	1	#169 in 2024

Variants

Odhrán · spelling
Odran · spelling
Oran · spelling
Orin · spelling
Orrin · spelling

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

Common alternate spellings: Odhrán, Odran, Oran, Orin, Orrin.

Pronunciation

OH-rawn/ˈəu̯.ɾˠaːnˠ/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Odhran Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Odhran in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of Ireland

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Preview with a surname

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.

Odhran

Odhran at a glance

What stands out in Odhran's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Odhran across 3 official records

Odhran by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Odhran appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Odhran

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Odhran and the names beside it

Odhran moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Odhran

Moved the opposite way to Odhran

Moved the same way as Odhran

Meaning & Origin

Where Odhran is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Odhran Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Odhran at a glance

What stands out in Odhran's record

Odhran across 3 official records

Odhran by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Odhran appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Odhran

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Odhran and the names beside it

Odhran moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Odhran

Moved the opposite way to Odhran

Moved the same way as Odhran