Darragh
An Irish masculine given name, possibly derived from "darach" meaning "oak tree".
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the first name Darragh. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Darragh today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darragh births was 2021 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darragh. 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
284
~ 1 in 1,206,881 Americans
Peak year
2021
16 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,515
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Darragh
Darragh leans heavily male at 88.0% of total registrations, but 35 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Darragh as a male name
- Ranked #6,515 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (16 births)
Darragh as a female name
- Ranked #16,052 in 2002
- 5 female births in 2002
- Peak: 1992 (8 births)
Popularity
Darragh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darragh from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 91 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Darragh remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darragh 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 Darragh 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 Darragh
The name Darragh is an Irish given name derived from the Gaelic word "dair," meaning oak tree. It has its origins in ancient Celtic culture, where the oak tree was revered as a symbol of strength, endurance, and wisdom. This name is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries AD, when Irish monasticism and bardic traditions flourished.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Darragh can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. It mentions a nobleman named Darragh O'Maoileachlainn, who lived in the 11th century and was a member of the influential O'Melaghlin dynasty from County Westmeath.
Throughout Irish history, several notable figures bore the name Darragh. One such figure was Darragh Ó Briain (1010-1064), a renowned Irish king and warrior who ruled the Kingdom of Munster from 1038 until his death. He was known for his military exploits and successful campaigns against rival Irish kingdoms.
Another prominent Darragh was Darragh O'Daly (c. 1590-1668), a notable Irish Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Archbishop of Tuam during the tumultuous period of the Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
In the realm of Irish literature, Darragh O'Rahilly (1775-1829) was a celebrated poet and Irish language scholar from County Kerry. He composed numerous works in the traditional Irish bardic style and was instrumental in preserving and promoting the rich heritage of Irish literature and language.
More recently, Darragh O'Brien (born 1975) is an Irish politician and member of the Fianna Fáil party, who has served as the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage since 2020.
While the name Darragh has its roots in ancient Irish culture, it has maintained its popularity and relevance throughout the centuries, with many notable figures bearing this name and contributing to various aspects of Irish society, from politics and religion to literature and warfare.
People
Darragh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darragh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darragh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darragh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darragh 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 1,206,881 US residents.
Is Darragh a common name?
We classify Darragh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darragh most popular?
The single biggest year for Darragh was 2021, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darragh is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Darragh a male name?
Yes, 88.0% of people registered as Darragh 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.