The baby name Quinn has become a Top 100 staple for our daughters, and remains quite popular for our sons, too.
Thanks to Carolyn for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME QUINN MEAN?
This name’s Irish roots feel obvious.
It’s a first name borrowed from a last name. After so many years of steady, use, that’s a little easier to overlook.
The baby name Quinn comes from the surname Ó Cuinn, which honors Conn of the Hundred Battles, a legendary High King of Ireland. It’s said that many a distinguished Irish leader is a descendant of Conn.
Two likely origins for his name: conn could mean wisdom or reason. It might also come from a title, the equivalent of chief.
Conn, too is a given name. Despite the similar sound, it’s not related to long-time favorite Connor. A handful of similar names could also share roots with Quinn and Conn, or just overlapping sounds.
POP CULTURE QUINN
If the name Quinn occurs throughout Irish legend and history, it belongs to popular culture in the United States.
Looking at the 20th century forward, we find:
- “The Mighty Quinn,” Manfred Mann’s hit single from 1968. The lyrics are about “Quinn the Eskimo.” Bob Dylan penned the song back in 1960, and it is generally believed that Dylan was influenced by actor Anthony Quinn’s performance in 1960 flick The Savage Innocents. Quinn’s character was called Inuk– a name that’s a little tougher to rhyme. (Even in the era, the casting choices raised a few eyebrows.)
- Child actress Quinn Cummings earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Lucyin 1979’s The Goodbye Girl.
- From 1993 to 1998, Jane Seymour played the title role in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, a 19th century, Boston-born doctor who moves to Colorado Springs and has to convince that town to trust her skills.
- 1997’s Daria, an animated MTV series, featured teenage malcontent Daria Morgendorfer and her polar opposite sister, perky, none-too-swift cheerleader Quinn.
- Television series Glee debuted in 2009, giving the world head cheerleader Quinn Fabray.
- Soap operas have given us a (male) Quinn Hudson on Days of Our Lives beginning in 2011, and, for the females, The Bold and the Beautiful introduced Quinn Fuller Forrester in 2013.
That’s just a short list of Quinn usage that might come to mind.
GENDER-NEUTRAL NAME
All of this makes the baby name Quinn effortlessly unisex.
Is Quinn a girl name? It’s actually more popular for our daughters during the 21st century, ranking in the US Top 100 since 2015. It’s a successor to Brooke, a sister to trim surname names like Blair and Sloane.
In the United Kingdom, usage is more even, with the name only slightly more common for girls. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, including Canada, girls seem to have the edge, though different cultures vary. In the Netherlands, Quinn is far more common for boys.
While nicknames of Quinn are few, Quinny or Quinnie resembles Ginny or Lynnie.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME QUINN?
For boys, Quinn entered the US Top 1000 back in 1960 and remains there, at #497 as of 2024. That’s probably about actor Anthony Quinn. Born Antonio in Mexico, his grandfather was Irish. Quinn’s career accelerated during the 1950s, and he was first nominated for an Oscar in 1958. That likely explains the name’s rise.
Actress Quinn Cummings briefly sent the name into the girls’ Top 1000 in 1979. But it didn’t last. Not until the 1990s did Quinn start to rise steadily for our daughters. It’s ranked in the US Top 100 since 2015, and still stands at #96 as of 2024.
Baby name lists include plenty of Irish surname-style choices that read unisex: Riley and Rowan are two more that come to mind.
While Quinn is the most popular choice, recent decades have given us similar-sounding names, including:
- Quincy, currently ranked in the Top 1000 for boys and girls,
- Quinton, a Top 1000 choice for boys. It might be a cousin to Quentin, meaning “Queen’s town,” or it might be related to the Latin quintus – the number five. Number-inspired names are having a moment, so that latter meaning could have some serious appeal, and add to the allure of Quinton and Quinn, too.
- Quinlan, an Irish surname, shares the Quin- sound though it likely has different roots.
COOL Q NAME
The initial Q is endlessly appealing. Just ask James Bond. It m akes Quinn a great middle name option.
Families don’t need any specific Celtic heritage to consider this well-established surname choice with a mix of appealing meanings.
It’s a solid citizen of a name, infinitely flexible and very much a 21st century mainstay.
If you’re looking for a well-established choice that feels current, but not trendy, Quinn might be the perfect name for you.
What do you think of the baby name Quinn?
First published on January 9, 2014, this post was revised on May 4, 2026.
Wan’t quinn a character on the later episodes of One Tree Hill, sister to Haley James Scott?
All-boy in my region (western NY state).
I like Quinn, but I have a young cousin named Quinten so it would feel strange to use it. I lean girl for it, but would use it for either gender. We have a Parker and I also adore Dorian or Morgan for a brother or sister.