UK girl's name
Clodagh
An Irish feminine name derived from the Celtic word meaning "a meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Clodagh is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Clodagh popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1036, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 33 births.
This profile covers 523 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Clodagh is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 1,748 living people in the UK are called Clodagh. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Clodagh ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 33 girls were registered as Clodagh.
- • Clodagh ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #20 in 2024.
- • About 1,748 living people in the UK are estimated to have Clodagh as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1036
2024
Births in 2024
33
Latest year
Peak year
2024
33 births
Estimated living
1,748
2026
Meaning
What does Clodagh mean?
The name Clodagh is an Irish Gaelic name with origins dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Irish word "cladach" which means "a flat, stony shore or beach." The name was originally used to describe someone who lived near the seashore or coastal regions of Ireland.
In ancient Irish folklore, Clodagh was the name of a legendary queen and warrior who ruled over the southeastern region of Ireland known as Munster. Tales of her bravery and leadership skills were passed down through oral traditions for centuries before being recorded in medieval Irish manuscripts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clodagh can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 11th century. The annals mention a woman named Clodagh who was the wife of an Irish king in the year 1014 AD.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Clodagh. One was Clodagh Rodgers (1944-2017), an Irish singer and actress who performed in numerous musicals and plays in Dublin and London during the 1960s and 1970s.
Another was Clodagh Finn (1949-2012), an Irish artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her large-scale public installations and exhibitions in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In the realm of literature, Clodagh Beresford Dunlop (1900-1984) was an Irish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories during her lifetime.
Clodagh Hamill (1948-2008) was an Irish fashion designer and businesswoman who founded the successful clothing line "Clodagh Collection" in the 1970s, which gained international recognition for its unique blend of Irish and contemporary styles.
Lastly, Clodagh Kilcoyne (1966-2018) was an acclaimed Irish radio broadcaster and journalist who worked for Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, for over two decades, covering major news events and hosting popular radio shows.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Clodagh over time
The chart below shows babies named Clodagh registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Clodagh, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 33 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clodagh by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Clodagh was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1209 | 137 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1754 | 175 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1656 | 134 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1084 | 77 | 4 |
Geography
Where Clodagh is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Clodagh. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Clodagh ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #20 in 2024.
Across the UK
Clodagh in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#431 in 2024
14 years of NRS records, 62 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#20 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,172 total registered
Related
Names similar to Clodagh
- Chloe 111,265
- Charlotte 88,733
- Caitlin 28,931
- Courtney 23,162
- Chelsea 13,049
- Clara 9,435
- Connie 8,402
- Catherine 8,376
- Charlie 7,964
- Cerys 7,506
- Casey 7,018
- Cara 6,375
FAQ
Clodagh: questions and answers
How popular is the name Clodagh in the UK right now?
In 2024, Clodagh was ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.
When was Clodagh most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 33 babies registered as Clodagh in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Clodagh?
An Irish feminine name derived from the Celtic word meaning "a meadow".
How many people are called Clodagh in the UK?
A total of 523 babies have been registered as Clodagh across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 62 more in Scotland and 1,172 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Clodagh most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Clodagh ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #20 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.