Caelan

KAY-lan
Irish
"little slender one"

Caelan Origin and Meaning

The name Caelan is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "little slender one".

One of several Anglicized forms of Caolán, this spelling is borrowed from the Old Irish root, cáel. The pronunciation is also slightly Anglicized, as the original name may be pronounce KWAY-lan, KEE-lan, or KWEE-lan, depending on regional dialect.

With its stylish -an ending and its cool 'KAY' sound, Caelan entered the Top 500 in England and Wales in 2022, while in Ireland, it was one of the fastest rising names of 2023, entering not just the Top 100 for the first time, but leaping straight to the Top 50.

As a name, it derives from the Irish element cáel meaning "slender", combined with a diminuitive suffix, giving it the over all meaning "little slender one".

Caelan appears in Derek Landy's book series Skulduggery Pleasant and is notably borne by Irish rugby player, Caelan Doris, selected in 2023 as the Players’ Player of the Year at the Rugby Players Ireland awards. This may have encouraged more parents to use the name.

# 842 on Nameberry

Caelan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Caelan Popularity

Famous People Named Caelan

  • Caelan Michael Biehn
    son of American actor Michael Biehn

Caelan in Pop Culture

  • Caelan
    Vampire character from the Skulduggery Pleasant series