Finn wraps up American literature, Irish legend, and pop culture in one brief, complete package.
Thanks to Kim for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
Finn MacCool
This name reads Irish, and indeed, it comes from the Gaelic Fionn mac Cumhaill. He’s a major figure in legend and lore, a warrior and commander. MacCool performed the requisite feats: outwitting an evil fairy, catching an enchanted fish, pursuing a maiden transformed into a deer.
Fionn means fair, and referred to the hero’s blonde hair color.
Legend has it that Finn is not dead, but merely sleeping, and will reawaken and protect Ireland in her hour of need. Some scholars suggest that the title of James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake is a slurring of the phrase “Finn again is awake.”
Wanderer
A similar name occurs in Old Norse: Finnr. It originally meant wanderer, but for generations has referred to the people of Finland.
Both the Irish and the Norse can be the source of the surname.
Huckleberry
The most famous Finn in the last century is Mark Twain’s creation, Huckleberry. Twain introduces him as the juvenile pariah of the village … the son of the Town Drunkard. Huck’s trip down the Mississippi with runaway slave Jim is etched in American literary history.
Formal Names
While there’s no need for a formal name, options abound: Irish surnames and given names like Finley, Finnegan, Finbar, and Fintan make obvious choices. Finnick appeared in both The Hunger Games and Zootopia, which makes it very modern – but perhaps increasingly wearable as the years go by.
As for Phineas or any of the various spellings – Julia Roberts is mom to Phinnaeus – these names come from the Bible. Phineas or Phinehas appears in the Old Testament, on two minor characters.
Griffin could be considered as yet another option.
Pop Culture
As of 2018, Finn stands at #166 – a new high. That puts it well ahead of any of the longer forms. Though, on the girls’ side, Finley comes in at #163.
It feels like a mainstream favorite today, but the name first cracked the US Top 1000 in the year 2000. Since then, it climbed steadily, thanks in part to pop culture.
There have been Finns in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gray’s Anatomy, The Sopranos and The 100. There’s an animated Finn in Adventure Time. Cars 2 gave the name to a James Bond-like race car. And the Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers use this name for their mascot.
Celebrities have embraced it, too.
But the biggest boosts probably come from quarterback-turned-singer Finn Hudson Glee, the musical television drama that ran from 2009 through 2015. During that time, the name marched up the rankings, rising from #342 to #209. The actor who played the role, Corey Monteith, has since tragically passed away before the series’ finale.
And then came FN-2187, a stormtrooper who defies his conditioning to join the Resistance when Star Wars: The Force Awakens begins. We followed Finn through the second movie, and he’s set to return for The Rise of Skywalker. John Boyega plays the role.
If Glee helped keep this name in the spotlight, Boyega has transformed it, making it both traditional Irish legend and space age hero.
And now there’s another generation of celebrity: Finn Wolfhard, part of the celebrated young ensemble cast battling otherworldly monsters and other evil in Netflix’s smash hit Stranger Things.
Future Top 100?
This name continues to gain steadily in use. With Star Wars such a major phenomenon, this name is now right up there with Luke. Could it reach the US Top 100? It makes a great substitute for casual-cool boy names like Jack. It’s easy to imagine lots of parents embracing this name – though given the popularity of longer forms of Finn, it’s possible it’s already far more popular than the numbers suggest.
Would you use just Finn, or do you prefer a formal version of the name?
Originally published on September 1, 2008, this post was revised substantially and re-published on April 16, 2012, July 8, 2013, and July 24, 2019.
Finn has been on my list for a few years… And if I really think about it, it’s probably because of Glee. ::embarrassed:: We’re having a boy this fall, and we’ve chosen two family names instead, but I still love the name. Maybe it will work for a future boy… Or maybe a horse! I’m saving all the names my husband doesn’t sign off on for future horses I’ll own. 🙂
We used Finn for our son’s middle name. We get weird reactions all the time. I wish I felt as confident about it as most of you do. Maybe my part of the world isn’t ready for Finn yet.
I love the name Finn and plan on using it for my third son due early next year. I will be using the Irish spelling of Fionn. I have never seen Glee and had no idea there was a character with this name and certainly never heard it on the Disney Channel. 😉 I was a Lit major and read Finnegans Wake in grad school. I also love Irish names (my middle son’s first and middle names are Gaelic). For those who think Finn is “weird” by itself, that is the original name. Just Fionn. No long name. There is a great Irish legend of Fionn, and it is a very popular name in Ireland. Great post – love your name website! 🙂
So we almost named our last child Finn in 2009 and the name is now back in the running for our 4th. I still love it, but hesitate with the growing popularity, the Glee reference (not to mention the hunger games’ Finnick–which oddly has grown on me too, but I don’t think I could go there!). We’ve considered Flynn, but it just doesn’t have the same charm as Finn and is more surname-y.
I’m in love with Finnick, but I agree – I couldn’t use a name from a novel, not unless it had history beyond the story. Finnick is great, but for the moment, he’s all wrapped up in the character. And with movies #2 and #3 to follow, that’s an association that will only get stronger …
Finnick has the feel of an old world name, even if it’s new coinage.
Just wanted to respond to Finn and Edna above. We have names our son Finn. He is 2 and a half and we love the name. He is very fair and it suits him perfectly. I like it’s directness and I think it has a certain simple romance, but most of all I love the female Finn who posted above. I hope my Finn grows up to be as sensible, semsitive and positive as you:)
“Simple romance” is a nice way to describe Finn – and while there’s much talk about the name’s use on Glee causing Finn to become too popular, I can’t help note that the singing Finn is a reasonably admirable character. It’s not like he’s a foul-mouthed axe murderer. You can imagine watching Glee and thinking “Finn, that’s a nice name.”
STUPID NAME….really. Why is it popular? Because thirteen year old girls like the character FINN on the Disney channel, and anyone naming their kid FINN will be perceived as having the emotional maturity of a teen aged girl, spending their days glued to Disney programs. Way to ensure you and your kid are not taken seriously!
I think of Huckleberry and FISH when I hear the name. I don’t think STRONG or SIMPLE, I think the racism of Mark Twain’s south and the smell of rotting fish.
Also, I picture kids with the name being TORTURED by their peers. It’s a name that is ripe for teasing.
I have a horrible name, I know from horrible names. Spare a kid the pain, and give the kid a NORMAL name. Save the stupid, self-indulgent ancestral names for the middle name, if you actually have to torture your child with such a stinker for a moniker….
Whoa, Edna – you’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s a lot of emotion over four letters. i know some Finns, and none of them have tweenaged parents or inappropriate Disney fixations.
Finn is fashionable, like it or not.
Kind of late to be posting this (with this entry being, what, over two years old?), but I wanted to give my, er, unique take. My name is Finn, and believe it or not, I’m a girl!
In contrast to Edna’s view, I have to laugh a little at the irony (and while I may be a girl, rest assured, I hold no secret fixation with Disney). In my childhood, I only encountered a small handful of people who teased me for my name. Huck Finn, Finland, and after Finding Nemo was released, Lucky Fin; all of which were dropped after the first few times they called me it. However, I can’t say I was ever bullied over it. In fact, I made a lot of friends because of it! Haha.
Another positive aspect is that it may have made me a confident person. My name never fails to put a grin on people’s faces when I say that, yes, my name is Finn. It makes it easy to break the ice. One negative aspect would be people seem to expect a boy over the phone, but I laugh and assure them it’s Finn speaking! As for being taken seriously, you decide. I’m working on becoming a pediatrician; my superiors don’t acknowledge anything odd about it and children love it. I rather like the idea of making a potentially sick child smile. 🙂
All that being said, do think carefully about what you name your child (obviously). But this was my personal experience, which I felt really needed to be shared after Edna’s (kind of harsh) insistence that the name was something that would scar or torture your child for the rest of their lives.
There are cruel people in the world, and they will find anything to tease you about. Names are an easy way, it’s who you are. But whatever they think, it’s not their name but rather mine. I love it, and wouldn’t trade it for the world. 🙂
Regards,
(a) Finn
The main character in the movie “Great Expectations” (played by Ethan Hawke) was called Finn! 🙂
Really? Not Pip! Dickens purists everywhere must’ve reeled. I never did see the movie version.
Oh, I absolutely agree with what Tracy says! I think I must give ore thought to it as a name.I don’t consider it trendy. When I say trendy, I mean in accordance with the latest fad. I don’t think it’s use will be so prominent that it becomes trendy or a trend. I love Finley as have Blaine Finley on my list, so I think Finn is actually darling. It’s great as a nickname.Its growing on me as a full, first name
Our Finn (short for Finnegan, middle name Riley) is 14 this year. He is blond with blue eyes, and fits the Irish meaning of “fair of face”. If you name your son Finn here is what you have to look forward to: My son had a preschool teacher who encouraged the other children to sing the song, “here comes old man Michael Finnegan, he has whiskers on his chin again….” My son tolerated it as well as can be expected. He thought it was a dumb song. No one ever called him Huck Finn. Kids his age aren’t even familiar with the story. So the teasing didn’t amount to a hill of beans. The girls LOVE his name. He gets told that often. The fact that the name has recently been given to several handsome men in films and tv shows has not hurt either. We are very happy with the choice. Family sometimes call him by his birth name, Finnegan, but his peers have called him Finn since early grade school.
Emma, congrats on your baby boy! Joy to you. 🙂