Finn names begin with Irish legend, span American literature, travel all over the globe and even lead to the Disney Channel.

That sounds about right for such a lively, carefree name. It sits somewhere between Hudson and Huck, Patrick and Jack. With centuries of history, but at its most popular moment in the US now, Finn feels like a crowd-pleaser.

But maybe you’re after something longer for your son’s birth certificate. Or a formal name to distinguish him from any other Finns he might meet.

Luckily, longer Finn names for boys abound.

From familiar surnames to literary inventions to true rarities, there’s something on this list to suit every style.

FAMILIAR FINNS

FINN

Just Finn debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2000, but the name’s history goes back much farther. It’s sometimes a surname – as in Mark Twain’s enduring literary character, Huckleberry Finn. But it’s most often a given name, as in Irish folk hero Finn MacCool. In that case, it comes from a word meaning fair. There’s also the Norse Finnur, meaning wanderer. And sometimes it refers to someone from Finland. (Though Finns call their homeland Suomi.)

All of that makes the meaning of Finn a little muddled, but in a good way. It’s heroic and brave, world-traveled upbeat.

Pop culture has given us Finns on Glee and Vampire Diaries. Animated series Adventure Time includes Finn the Human. But the most famous Finn comes from a galaxy far, far away, where he took his name from his identification number in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

FINLEY

Take Finn, add the element laoch – warrior or hero – and you’ll arrive at Finley. It’s used for girls as well as boys, a popular pick in our age of Riley.

FINNEGAN

It means son of Finn, and feels like a logical possibility, given the popularity of longer surname names like Cameron and Sullivan.

GRIFFIN

Griffin requires no nickname, but the Finn sound is there in case you’re so inclined.

IRISH & SCOTTISH FINNS

FINBAR

Saint Finbar lived in Cork in the sixth century. The extended Kennedy family has used the name; Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son William Finbar goes by Finn.

FINGAL and FINGALL

Scottish writer James Macpherson used this name for a poem titled Fingal in 1762. Macpherson claimed he discovered and translated lost texts, but that’s not entirely clear.

FINIAN and FINNIAN

A saint’s name, it might be better known from the 1968 musical film Finian’s Rainbow. It fits in with current favorites like Julian and Adrian.

FINAN and FINNAN

Like Finian, Finnan comes from adding the familiar -an ending, making the meaning something like “little fair one.”

FINTAN

Yet another saintly name, but one with an intriguing story. Legend tells that Fintan survived the floods – the only Irishman to make it through. He managed this feat by turning himself into a salmon. A handful of early saints answered to Fintan, too.

FINN SURNAMES

FINDLAY and FINDLEY and FINLAY

These – and others – all trace back to the popular Finley. Though a few of these spellings might imply a slightly different pronunciation.

FINEGAN and FINNIGAN

Again, there’s more than one way to spell Finnegan.

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VINTAGE FINN NAMES

PHINEAS

The Old Testament gives us Phinehas, meaning unclear. We’ve been re-spelling it ever since. Julia Roberts’ son is Phinnaeus. Also spotted: Phineus, Fineas, Finneas, Finneus, and more. But the slimmed-down Phineas ranks as most popular in the US, though it fails to make the current Top 1000. One reason we tend to think of Phineas as the obvious spelling? Long-running Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb featured a pair of likable stepbrothers known for concocting mind-blowing inventions.

RUFINUS

Speaking of names that don’t crack the current Top 1000, there’s Rufus … and the elaborated Rufinus. Both come from a Roman name meaning red-headed. A handful of early saints answered to both versions of the name. While it’s seldom heard today, with picks like Atticus so popular, it’s not unthinkable.

SERAPHIN

Seraphina attracts quite a bit of attention, but the masculine Seraphin? Not so much. Also spelled Serafin and Serafim, it comes from an order of angels detailed in the Bible.

SURPRISING FINNS

FINNEAS

A mash-up of Finn and Phineas, or perhaps simply a phonetic respelling of the latter, Finneas in on our radar thanks to singer-songwriter Finneas O’Connell, better known by his first name only. Brother to Billie Eilish, he collaborated on the Turning Red soundtrack and voiced Jesse in the Pixar film.

FINIS

Looking for a name for your very last child? Finis is the French word for end, the source of our word finish. It is pronounced fin EE, something like we’d say Finny. It feels a little outlandish as a first, but it might be great in the middle spot.

FINNICK

Author Suzanne Collins invented Finnick for a Hunger Games hero. It sounds like a name for a son, and it continues to gain in use, even as the books and movies fade out of the pop culture spotlight. It’s also the name of a fennec fox in 2016’s Zootopia. Finnick had some history as a spelling of surname/place name Fenwick even before the world met dashing, heroic Finnick Odair.

ODAFIN

If you know your Law and Order, this name comes to mind. In Special Victims Unit, Ice-T plays Odafin Tutuola. Appropriately, Odafin means lawmaker in Yoruba. Tutola answers to Fin on the show, demonstrating the name’s international reach.

THORFINN

A handful of Norse names use Finn in combination, like Thorfinn. A tenth century Norse Earl of Orkney, he was known by the charming epithet Thorfinn Skull-splitter. It’s something of an extreme choice, but just one fictional character might change that.

Would you use any of these Finn names for a child?

First published on January 18, 2013, this post was revised substantially and re-published on August 5, 2020; April 14, 2022; and September 18, 2024.


 

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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12 Comments

  1. You note that Finnick was invented by Suzanna Collins. You might want to update, since that is not true. According to Ancestry.com, Finnick is a surname that dates back to the 17th century, as well as the name of some old cities/regions in Finland and Norway (which no longer exist).
    There is a man in California, for instance, according to Ancestry.com, with the last name of Finnick who is over 70 years old.

    1. Interesting, Andy – thanks. My guess is that Suzanne Collins understood that was she inventing it, in the sense that it wasn’t cited or known at the time of her writing. There’s a similar story with Coraline and Neil Gaiman – he created the name thanks to a typo, but it wasn’t, strictly speaking. new. Just so incredibly rare as to be nearly unknown. Though, of course, it does get tricky – if we hear something once, and don’t think we’re remembering it, does it actually come back to us years later?

  2. Hi Abby! Can you do a post about names that can get Maggie as a nickname? Like there’s the obvious Margaret, but also unnusual choices like Magnolia/Marigold, or you can even do Maggie for Mary Gwen and other MG initials.

  3. My Finn lists:
    Adolfin, Adolfino, Adolfinus, Alafin, Alffinn, Alffinnr, Alffinnur, Alfinn, Alvfinn, Alvfinnr, Alvfinnur, Anfinn, Anfinnr, Anfinnur, Annfinn, Annfinnr, Annfinnur, Aodhfin, Arfinn, Arfinnr, Arfinnur, Arnfinn, Arnfinni, Arnfinnr, Arnfinnur, Asfinn, Asfinnr, Asfinnur, Audfinn, Audfinnr, Audfinnur, Barrfind, Barrfinn, Bergfinn, Bergfinnr, Bergfinnur, Bjarnfinn, Bjarnfinnr, Bjarnfinnur, Bjorgfinn, Bjorgfinnr, Bjorgfinnur, Borgfinn, Borgfinnr, Borgfinnur, Cefin, Corfino, Crofinn, Curufin, Curufinwe, Cyffin, Dagfinn, Dagfinnr, Dagfinnur, Dalfin, Delfin, Delfino, Delfinus, Derufin, Dolfin, Dolfino, Dolfinus, Dolgfinn, Dolgfinnr, Dolgfinnur, Eifinn, Eifinnr, Eifinnur, Eldfinn, Eldfinnr, Eldfinnur, Elffin, Elfinn, Elfinnr, Elfinnur, Eydfinn, Eydfinnr, Eydfinnur, Ffinan, Fina, Finan, Finarfin, Finbar, Finbarr, Finched, Finco, Find, Findabair, Findan, Findanus, Findbar, Findbarr, Findemas, Findgoll, Findlaech, Findlay, Findley, Fineas, Fineen, Finees, Finegan, Finegas, Finehas, Fineus, Fingal, Fingall, Fingar, Fingardr, Fingardur, Finger, Finghin, Fingin, Fingo, Fingolfin, Fingon, Fingra, Finguine, Finguni, Fini, Finian, Finidi, Finin, Finis, Finlagan, Finlater, Finlay, Finley, Finlugh, Finnachta, Finnaestucan, Finnaeus, Finnagan, Finnan, Finnbane, Finnbar, Finnbarr, Finnbarra, Finnbennach, Finnberg, Finnbhair, Finnbharr, Finnbjorn, Finnbo, Finnboge, Finnbogi, Finnchad, Finne, Finnean, Finneas, Finneaus, Finnegan, Finnen, Finneran, Finnerty, Finnessey, Finneus, Finnevid, Finngal, Finngall, Finngard, Finngardr, Finngardur, Finngeir, Finngeirr, Finnghall, Finni, Finnian, Finnick, Finnigan, Finnin, Finnis, Finnjon, Finnkell, Finnkjell, Finnlagh, Finnlaug, Finnlaugr, Finnlaugur, Finnleik, Finnleiv, Finnleivr, Finnleivur, Finnolf, Finnolfr, Finnolfur, Finnr, Finntan, Finntighearn, Finnulf, Finnulfr, Finnulfur, Finnur, Finnvald, Finnvaldr, Finnvaldur, Finnvard, Finnvardr, Finnvardur, Finnved, Finnvid, Finnvidh, Finnvidr, Finnvidur, Fino, Finrod, Finsley, Fintain, Fintan, Finucane, Finulf, Finvel, Finvid, Finvidh, Finwe, Finwith, Finzant, Fridfinn, Fridfinnr, Fridfinnur, Geffin, Gefin, Geirfinn, Geirfinnr, Geirfinnur, Gemalfin, Gilfin, Gillifin, Glorfindel, Grefin, Griffin, Gudfinn, Gudfinnr, Gudfinnur, Gullfinn, Gullfinnr, Gullfinnur, Hanifin, Hefin, Herfinn, Herfinnr, Herfinnur, Hremfing, Jonfinn, Jonfinnr, Jonfinnur, Josefin, Karfinn, Kolfinn, Kolfinnr, Kolfinnur, Kristfinn, Kristfinnr, Kristfinnur, Kulfinn, Kulfinnr, Kulfinnur, Kyffin, Kylfing, Kylfingr, Kylfingur, Loffin, Lyfing, Malfinn, Malmfinn, Mefin, Mesfin, Norfinn, Odafin, Oddfinn, Oddfinnr, Oddfinnur, Offin, Paulfinn, Rafinad, Rafinha, Ruffin, Ruffino, Rufianus, Rufin, Rufinian, Rufino, Rufinus, Saefinn, Saefinnr, Saefinnur, Sefinn, Serafin, Serafino, Serafinus, Sigfinn, Sigfinnr, Sigfinnur, Sigrfinn, Sigrfinnr, Sigrfinnur, Sigurfinn, Sigurfinnr, Sigurfinnur, Slagfinn, Slagfinnr, Slagfinnur, Solfinn, Solfinnr, Solfinnur, Steinfinn, Steinfinnr, Steinfinnur, Stenfinn, Stenfinnr, Stenfinnur, Tashfin, Thorfin, Thorfinn, Thorfinnr, Thorfinnur, Torfin, Torfinn, Torfinnr, Torfinnur, Tyrfing, Tyrfingr, Tyrfingur, Ulfin, Vidfinn, Vidfinnr, Vidfinnur, Vifinn, Vifinnr, Vifinnur, Ylfing, Ylfingr, Ylfingur

    Adolphin, Adolphino, Adolphinus, Dauphin, Delphin, Delphino, Delphinus, Dolphin, Dolphino, Dolphinus, Elphin, Gephin, Josephin, Phinean, Phineas, Phinees, Phinehas, Phineus, Phinnaeus, Phinneas, Phinneaus, Phinneus, Ruphianus, Ruphin, Ruphino, Ruphinus, Seraphin, Seraphino, Seraphinus

    Fionain, Fionan, Fionghan, Fionn, Fionnagain, Fionnaghain, Fionnan, Fionnbarra, Fionnbhar, Fionnbharr, Fionnchan, Fionnchu, Fionnghal, Fionnghall, Fionnla, Fionnlagan, Fionnlagh, Fionnlaoch, Fionnsaidh, Fionntan, Fiontan

  4. My 3 month old nephew is named Finn, and people do try to call him Finnegan or Finneus or Finley, but I think Finn on it’s own is really cute and fresh.

  5. I love Finnian, Finley and Finlay.

    Other alternatives: Thorfinn, Finnulf, Finnvard, Seraphin. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I’ve always thought Stephen / Stephan could work as well.

  6. I would definitely use Finn on his own. Fionn MacCool didn’t need a longer name! Although one of my favorite ways to get to Finn is Finch.

  7. Ahh, A Separate Peace. Loved Finny…

    I know a Finbar, but he never went by Fin. I think it would have worked well on him.

  8. We almost named our first son Phinneus so that one is my favorite, along with simply Finn. These are still on our list if we have another boy!

  9. I’d say Odafin is much less wild than Finis as a name. The pronouciation is more obvious, the meaning is better and it’s a name as opposed to a random word. It might not be European, but it hardly seems wild.