How to say it
DEC · lan
/ˈdɛk.lən/
Masculine
Declan
Full of goodness
What it means
Anglicized Irish Deaglán, from a root probably meaning 'full of goodness' or 'man of prayer.' Saint Declan of Ardmore was a 5th-century Irish bishop, possibly pre-dating Saint Patrick.
Declan is the anglicization of the Irish Deaglán, from a root probably meaning 'full of goodness' or 'man of prayer.' Saint Declan of Ardmore was a 5th-century Irish bishop, traditionally said to have preached in Munster before Patrick arrived in Ireland — making him one of the first wave of Irish Christianity rather than Patrick's harvest. His cult is centered in County Waterford. The English-language adoption of Declan is recent: rare in the US before 2000, then climbing fast. It entered the US top 100 in 2018. Single short forms aren't common.
Popularity over time
peaked at #95 in 2019, currently #139 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
DECK-lan, two syllables. The C is hard.
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.
- Saint Declan of Ardmore 5th-century Irish bishop, one of the pre-Patrician Christian missionaries to Ireland
Spelling variants
- Deaglán
Names with the same feeling
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