Cullan
A masculine given name of Gaelic origin meaning "handsome lad".
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Cullan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cullan today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cullan births was 1994 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cullan. 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.
People living today
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1994
22 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,053
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Cullan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cullan from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 119 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
Cullan 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 Cullan 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 Cullan
The given name Cullan has its origins in the Gaelic language and culture, specifically from Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the old Irish word "culenn," which means "holly tree" or "holly bush." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 6th century CE in ancient Irish texts and manuscripts.
Cullan was a relatively common name among the Irish and Scottish clans during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Saint Cullan, an Irish monk who lived in the 7th century CE and founded several monasteries in Ireland. Another notable figure was Cullan the Bald, a 9th-century Irish scribe and scholar who worked at the famous monastery of Iona in Scotland.
In the 11th century, a Scottish nobleman named Cullan of Argyll played a significant role in the wars between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of Strathclyde. His exploits were documented in various chronicles and historical records of the time.
During the 12th century, a renowned Irish poet and storyteller named Cullan the Bard was highly regarded for his works, which were widely circulated among the literary circles of the time.
In the 16th century, Cullan O'Mullan was a notable Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Mullan clan. He was known for his fierce resistance against the English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
Throughout history, there have been several variations and spellings of the name Cullan, such as Cullen, Cullin, and Cuilean, which were used in different regions and time periods. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Gaelic-speaking peoples.
People
Cullan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cullan 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
Cullan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cullan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cullan 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Cullan a common name?
We classify Cullan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 329 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cullan most popular?
The single biggest year for Cullan was 1994, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cullan is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cullan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cullan 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.
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.