NameRealm
Callahan

Callahan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“bright-headed”
Origin
Irish
Say it
KAL-uh-han · 3 syllables
Used for
Boys (83% of all uses)

From the Irish surname Ó Ceallacháin, derived from the personal name Ceallachán. The surname's original meaning is traditionally linked to 'bright-headed'.

Irish namesNames meaning lightSurname-style names

How popular is Callahan?

2024298 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Callahan in 2024991

2024 rank#363 boys

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 18805,345

Callahan is rising: use over the last five years is 9.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Callahan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Liamresolute protector · Irish
  • Aidenlittle fire · Irish
  • Nolandescendant of Nuallán · Irish
  • Ryanlittle king · Irish
  • Declanuncertain, possibly full of goodness · Irish
  • Connorlover of hounds · Irish
  • Kevinhandsome, gentle, kind · Irish
  • Braydendescendant of Bradán · Irish

Callahan questions

What does the name Callahan mean?

Callahan means "bright-headed". It comes from Irish. From the Irish surname Ó Ceallacháin, derived from the personal name Ceallachán. The surname's original meaning is traditionally linked to 'bright-headed'.

Is Callahan a boy or girl name?

Callahan is mainly a boy's name in US records (84% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Callahan?

991 US babies were named Callahan in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Callahan?

Callahan is usually pronounced KAL-uh-han.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.