The baby name Finnick was invented for a Hunger Games hero, building on many popular choices for our sons.
Thanks to Ella for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHERE DOES THE NAME FINNICK COME FROM?
Warning: minor spoilers ahead.
Suzanne Collins invented the brutal, captivating world of Panem – the Capitol, plus twelve, no thirteen, districts.
In the very first book, we meet Katniss Everdeen.
She’s absolutely nobody, selected as a Tribute to fight – and almost certainly die – in a competition designed for the entertainment of the masses.
Except she’s also uncommonly brave.
And that is enough to change everything. Katniss squares off against the corrupt and ruthless dictator at the heart of Panem.
But she doesn’t do it alone. Over the course of three books – Hunger Games, Mockingjay, and Catching Fire – Katniss allies with other Tributes and those who have suffered at the hands of the Capitol. Instead of victims, they become an army.
And that’s where Finnick comes in.
We meet Finnick Odair in the second book. He’s a past champion of the games that Katniss, too, survived. And while not all of Collins’ characters are admirable, he’s the real deal.
Finnick helps Katniss lead a revolution.
WHAT DOES THE NAME FINNICK MEAN?
On paper, it looks a little bit like our word finicky. But finicky means fussy – and that doesn’t really square with the character. Finicky comes from the word fine, which can mean delicate, pure, or high quality. In slang, fine means handsome.
That last one, at least, applies to the character. (Sam Clalfin plays the part in the movies.)
Still, it doesn’t really track.
Another theory? We tend to associate Finn with fish. And Finnick Odair comes from District 4, on the coast. The main industry is fishing, and nets and tridents are their weapons of choice. Finnick wields his trident with deadly force.
It follows that his name is probably a nod to those roots, just like Katniss’ name refers to an edible plant that can be gathered in the wild.
So let’s talk about Finn.
FINN NAMES
In Irish legend, Finn McCool is a hero. His name comes from fionn – white or blessed.
American literature gives us Huckleberry Finn, another character whose fate is tied to the water – though in that case, it’s the Missippi River.
Popular names beginning with Finn abound. Irish surname Finley is nearly as popular, followed by Finnegan and Finnley.
Irish names like Fintan, Finan, Finnian, and Finbar are less common, but also familiar.
Finn can also refer to someone from the country of Finland. They call their country Suomi. But in English, they’re also sometimes referred to as Finnic peoples.
FENWICK
One final theory: English and Scottish surname Fenwick comes from the Old English word fenn, meaning marsh, combined with wic, referred to a farm.
It’s a common place name, heard throughout the English-speaking world.
Lake Fenwick is located in Kent, Washington. During the 1950s, five businessmen from Seattle borrowed the lake’s name for their brand of fishing rods. Fenwick succeeded by using innovative materials – first fiberglass, and later graphite.
It’s a stretch, but mix Fin and Fenwick and a seafaring, fisherman-adjacent hero’s name emerges.
NICK NAMES
Of course, boys’ names ending with -nick and strong K sounds have enjoyed plenty of popularity for decades.
Classics like Patrick, Eric, and Dominic come to mind. So do more modern picks like Derek and Kendrick. And traditional Nicholas became a white hot sensation during the 1990s.
It’s possible to imagine a baby name generator grafting Finn with a -nick ending and coming up with Finnick on its own.
FINNICK FOX
In 2016, Disney’s Zootopia gave us a world populated by animals.
Judy Hopps is the rabbit intent on becoming a police officer – even though bunnies generally stick to farming, leaving the police work to predators.
Nick Wilde is a fox who, true to type, makes his living as a con artist. His accomplice? A fennec fox known as Finnick.
In this case, it’s just a play on the type of fox. And fennec? It’s an Arabic word applied to small, furry mammals. This particular small, furry mammal is known for some oversized ears. It’s native to the desserts of north Africa, and it is the national animal of Algeria. (They even call their national football team Les Fennecs.)
What does this have to do with the baby name Finnick? Only that it very quickly went from literary and pop culture invention to being perceived as a name.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME FINNICK?
In terms of Social Security Administration data, the baby name Finnick has never registered in the US Top 1000.
But some parents are drawing inspiration from Hunger Games names. Consider:
- In 2023, nine girls were named Katniss.
- Her sister’s name, Primrose, was given to 91 girls.
- Rue, another competitor, was shared by 183 girls in 2023 alone – though Euphoria also gets some credit for that name’s rise.
The baby name Finnick debuted in the US popularity data in the year 2012. It simply wasn’t heard as a given name until the character came along.
While Finnick has yet to rank in the US Top 1000, it has gained steadily in use. As of 2023, 157 boys were named Finnick. That’s a new high.
The original books were released in 2008, 2009, and 2010, with movies following from 2012 thorugh 2015. But the story continues. Collins released a prequel titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020. It became a movie in 2023. Now Sunrise on the Reaping – a prequel after Songbirds but before Katniss’ time – is due for a 2025 release, with a movie adaptation already in the works.
Finnick Odair’s story may be over, but the world Collins created continues to live. And that keeps all of the names she created in the spotlight.
HANDSOME HERO CHOICE
All of this makes the baby name Finnick the kind of on-trend choice expectant parents might love. It combines many stylish sounds, a few familiar references, and feels like it has history – even though it’s a very new choice.
It might be the perfect name for families who grew up with the stories, or are looking for a less expected, but very wearable, formal name for Finn.
