Flynn
Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Floinn or possibly Mac Floinn, meaning "descendant or son of Flann". The name is more commonly used as a surname than a first name.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Flynn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish Ó Floinn or possibly Mac Floinn, meaning "descendant or son of Flann". The name is more commonly used as a surname than a first name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Flynn
As a girl name
Flynn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1986, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2013: 31 births, good for #4,542 nationwide. About 39% of every Flynn on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Flynn ranks #5,403 for girls with 23 births, rising sharply (+41% over the past five years). All told, over 509 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Flynn on the record books as a boy name in 1913, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 418 Flynns were born — ranking #653 that year. About 44% of every Flynn on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Flynn ranks #789 for boys with 323 births, holding steady (-4%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Flynn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Flynn is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Flin
- Flinn
- Flyn
- Fling
- Flown
- Flan
- Flim
- Flawn
- Flon
- Flann
- Fleen
- Flain
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Flynn
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About the name Flynn
Flynn is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Flynn's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #653. Use the chart and map above to compare Flynn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.