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Callahan

#227 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Irish surname transferred into given-name use

Callahan has been given to 7,031 babies in the U.S. since 1983. In 2025 it ranked #227 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2025, with 1,566 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 86% boys, 14% girls all-time.

Babies named Callahan, 2025

1 in 2,120

Callahan over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05001K1.5K2K18801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Callahan over time

In 2025, Callahan went to 7% girls and 93% boys.

19832025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Callahan: meaning, origin, and history

Irish surname transferred into given-name use

surname transfer

What Callahan means

Callahan is a diminutive of Ceallach.

Documented naming usage and pronunciation

Callahan is used in English.

Another recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæl.ə.ˌhæn/ for Callahan.

The naming story behind Callahan

Callahan is a given name adopted from Irish surname. This establishes the immediate naming route. A surname transfer is different from a direct translation of the modern given-name spelling; the family name may have its own earlier derivation.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Irish Ó Ceallacháin, from Ceallachán, diminutive of the given name Ceallach. Doublet of Kelly and Kellogg.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Callahan (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Callahan is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Callahan comes through Irish Ó Ceallacháin.

Callahan is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Ceallach and Kelly.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Callahan is pronounced /ˈkæləhæn/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 6,030 boys were recorded with the name Callahan between 1983 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 1,566 in 2025; its best national rank was #227 in 2025.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #806 in 2020 to #227 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,806 in 2015 to #227 in 2025.

In the United States, 1,001 girls were recorded with the name Callahan between 1988 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 116 in 2025; its best national rank was #1,748 in 2025.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #3,627 in 2020 to #1,748 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #5,009 in 2015 to #1,748 in 2025.

How common is Callahan?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 2,120
1,566 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 1,090
0.09% of boys
Rank, 2025
#227
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
1,469 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Callahan sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 301%
Grade of 1005%
School of 50021%

Put another way: gather 1,469 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Callahan. In a class of 30 the chance is 1%.

When Callahans were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Callahan was born before 2023 — so the typical Callahan is around 2 today.

Median birth year
2023
About 2 years old
Biggest decade
2020s
73.1% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
96.0%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
6,030
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2020s — 73.1% of all recorded uses (4,408).

Is Callahan rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+137
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
+579
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+1,579
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
18.87×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
100.0%
Peak was 2025 (1,566)
Years since peak
Peaking now
At its all-time high
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
26.3% average annual change
Best rank ever
#227
2025

Spellings of Callahan

Callahan is not the most common spelling — Callan is, with 62.6% against Callahan's 33.8%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Callahan is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Callahan was most concentrated in Montana — about 1 in 909 boys, against 1 in 3,168 across all states with data. It was least common in West Virginia (1 in 14,286).

7110 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Montana1 in 909
  2. 2North Dakota1 in 980
  3. 3Minnesota1 in 1,176
  4. 4Wisconsin1 in 1,250
  5. 5Idaho1 in 1,266
  6. 6South Dakota1 in 1,299
  7. 7Iowa1 in 1,408
  8. 8Missouri1 in 1,515

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Geographically, Callahan is somewhat regional — more concentrated than 63% of the names used widely enough to compare. See the most regional names

Where Callahan is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Callahan was most concentrated in Missouri — about 1 in 16,667 girls, against 1 in 46,506 across all states with data. It was least common in Pennsylvania (1 in 100,000).

16 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Missouri1 in 16,667
  2. 2Iowa1 in 20,000
  3. 3North Carolina1 in 33,333
  4. 4South Carolina1 in 33,333
  5. 5Florida1 in 50,000
  6. 6Georgia1 in 50,000
  7. 7Indiana1 in 50,000
  8. 8Minnesota1 in 50,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Callahan around the world

Where Callahan ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2020–2025
    #2,269
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    2024–2024
    #619
    in 2024
  • Canada
    1995–2024
    #560
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    2004–2006
    #657
    in 2006

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Notable people named Callahan

People whose public names include Callahan, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Callahan by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#227
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 579
Best rank ever
#227
2025
Peak year
2025
1,566 that year
First recorded
1983
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
6,030
Count in 2025
1,566

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#1,748
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 1,879
Best rank ever
#1,748
2025
Peak year
2025
116 that year
First recorded
1988
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
1,001
Count in 2025
116

Names similar to Callahan

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

CallaghanCalahanCalihanCallenCalvertCallanCallowayCallawayCaldwellCalogeroCallumCalderYonathanCalumCalhanLathanCalixtoEithanCalenCaleVaughanStephanJonnathanJohathan

Names with a curve like Callahan

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Callahan, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

BanksOnyxKyloSaintKoaWellsEliamBakerRomeAnderEithanTadeo

Sibling names for Callahan

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Callahan

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