Callan

How to say it

/ˈkæl.ən/

What it means

Anglicized Irish surname Ó Cathaláin or Ó Cailleán, from cathal ('battle') or caileán ('young dog'). The Irish town of Callan in Kilkenny carries the same root. Used as a modern US first name with Irish-revival appeal.

Callan is an anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Cathaláin or Ó Cailleán, with two competing roots: cathal ('battle, fight') or caileán ('young dog, whelp'). The Irish town of Callan in County Kilkenny carries the same root and was the seat of the Anglo-Norman Butler family in medieval times. As a US first name Callan is American and modern: rare before 2010, climbing since with the broader Irish-revival naming wave (alongside Declan, Ronan, Finn, Liam). It entered the US top 500 in 2018. Common short: Cal.

Heads-up notes

• Spelling

  Callan (Irish), Callen (the modern US respelling), and Cullen (a separate Irish name meaning 'holly') are sometimes confused; Callan and Callen are the same name.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Callan Mulvey Australian actor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Batman v Superman

Spelling variants

• Callen
• Cullen

Names with the same feeling

• Callum Dove
• Declan Full of goodness
• Ronan Little seal
• Finn Fair, white
• Kieran Little dark one

See Callan from another angle