Declan
Declan is an Irish given name, an anglicised form of the Irish saint name Declán, also Deaglán or Déaglán. St. Declán founded a monastery in Ireland in the 5th century, and the St. Declán's stone has been credited as the site of many miracles. The name is believed to mean "man of prayer" or "full of goodness".
Meaning & Origin of Declan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Declan is an Irish given name, an anglicised form of the Irish saint name Declán, also Deaglán or Déaglán. St. Declán founded a monastery in Ireland in the 5th century, and the St. Declán's stone has been credited as the site of many miracles. The name is believed to mean "man of prayer" or "full of goodness".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Declan
Declan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1951, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 3,971 Declans were born — ranking #95 that year. As of 2026, Declan ranks #140 for baby boys with 2,534 births, falling sharply (-24%). In total, more than 61K Declans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Declan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Declan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Declan
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About the name Declan
Declan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1951 and has accumulated 61K births in the dataset. Declan's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #95. Use the chart and map above to compare Declan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2019 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.