Oisín

Boy · Old Irish

Oisín

Say it: uh-SHEEN

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Old Irish os 'deer' with the diminutive -ín: 'little deer, fawn'.

Likelythe main view, with some doubt.

Known across Europe as Ossian through James Macpherson's 18th-century poems.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

386 babies given this name since 1991
At its height in 2020, about 1 in 55,000 boys
31 babies in 2020

Through the ages

The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

The family of the name

English	Ossian

Famous bearers

Oisín, poet-warrior son of Fionn mac Cumhaill

Names worth a look

EoghanBoyUncertain. Often explained as 'born of the yew' (eo 'yew'), a debated analysis; derivation from Greek Eugenios is…Early Medieval

TadhgBoyOld Irish tadg, often glossed 'poet' or 'philosopher', though the word's sense is not certain.Early Medieval

FintanBoyUncertain; 'white fire' (finn + tene) and 'white ancient' (finn + sen) have both been suggested.Early Medieval

AodhánBoyDiminutive of Aodh: 'little fire'.Early Medieval

FionnBoyOld Irish finn 'white, fair, bright'.Early Medieval

RuairíBoyFrom Old Irish Ruaidrí, from rúad 'red' and rí 'king'.Middle Ages

OcéaneGirlA modern French name from océan 'ocean', from Greek ōkeanos.Modern

OceanusBoyLatin form of Greek Okeanos, the great river believed to encircle the world; the ultimate origin is unknown.Colonial · forgotten

Where this comes from

Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.