Cuinn
A Celtic masculine name derived from the word "cuinn" meaning "leader" or "chief".
Name Census estimates that about 75 living Americans carry the first name Cuinn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cuinn today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cuinn births was 2015 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cuinn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cuinn with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cuinn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
75
~ 1 in 4,570,058 Americans
Peak year
2015
11 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2016 SSA rank
#11,006
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Cuinn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cuinn from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 38 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cuinn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cuinn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cuinn
The given name Cuinn is derived from the Old Irish word "cúan", meaning "harbor" or "bay". This name has its roots in the Celtic culture and is believed to have originated in Ireland during the medieval period, around the 5th to 10th centuries AD.
The name Cuinn is often associated with the ancient Irish kingdom of Connacht, which was located in the western part of Ireland. The name was particularly popular among the ruling dynasties of Connacht, and it is likely that some early bearers of the name were influential figures in this region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cuinn can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a king named Cuinn Cétchathach (anglicized as Conn of the Hundred Battles), who ruled the Kingdom of Tara in the 2nd century AD. While the historical accuracy of this figure is debated, his name has become a part of Irish folklore and legends.
Another notable figure with the name Cuinn was Saint Cuinn of Iona, a 7th-century Irish monk and missionary who is venerated in the Scottish island of Iona. He is believed to have played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in the region.
In the 10th century, Cuinn mac Ailpin was a King of Scotland who ruled from 967 to 971 AD. He was part of the House of Alpin, a Scottish royal dynasty.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cuinn appeared in various Irish and Scottish literary works, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Book of Leinster.
Other historical figures with the name Cuinn include:
1. Cuinn Cétchathach (2nd century AD), legendary High King of Ireland
2. Cuinn of Iona (7th century AD), Irish monk and missionary
3. Cuinn mac Ailpin (967-971 AD), King of Scotland
4. Cuinn Ó Lochlainn (13th century), Irish ruler and chieftain
5. Cuinn Ua Laoghaire (14th century), Irish poet and scholar
While the name Cuinn has its roots in ancient Irish and Celtic cultures, it has also been used in various forms and spellings across different regions and time periods, reflecting the rich tapestry of names that have evolved throughout history.
People
Cuinn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cuinn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cuinn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cuinn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 75 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cuinn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,570,058 US residents.
Is Cuinn a common name?
We classify Cuinn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 76 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cuinn most popular?
The single biggest year for Cuinn was 2015, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cuinn is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cuinn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cuinn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cuinn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cuinn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cuinn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cuinn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Cuinn?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Cuinn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.