NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Oisin

A masculine Celtic name meaning "small deer" or "fawn".

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.

Oisin is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Oisin popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #630, with 60 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 96 births.

This profile covers 1,255 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.

The latest count is about 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 4,170 living people in the UK are called Oisin. 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

  • Oisin ranked #630 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 60 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 96 boys were registered as Oisin.
  • Oisin ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #9 in 2024.
  • About 4,170 living people in the UK are estimated to have Oisin as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#630

2024

Births in 2024

60

Latest year

Peak year

2021

96 births

Estimated living

4,170

2026

Meaning

What does Oisin mean?

The name Oisin has its origins in Irish Gaelic culture and language. It is derived from the old Irish word "ussen" or "ossen", meaning "little deer" or "fawn". The name has been in use since ancient times in Ireland.

Oisin is a prominent figure in Irish mythology and folklore. He appears as the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill, a legendary Irish warrior and leader of the Fianna, in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. The stories of Oisin's adventures and his interactions with the supernatural world have been passed down through oral tradition and written texts over centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oisin can be found in the 12th-century manuscript "Acallam na Senórach" (Colloquy of the Ancients), which contains a collection of tales and stories from Irish mythology. In this text, Oisin is portrayed as a poet and storyteller who lived for centuries after being taken to the otherworldly land of Tír na nÓg by a beautiful woman named Niamh.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Oisin. One of the most famous was Oisin of Killeaney (also known as Oisin Mor), a 17th-century Irish bard and poet who composed a significant body of work in the Irish language. Another notable Oisin was Oisin Kelly (1857-1914), an Irish language scholar and editor who played a crucial role in preserving and promoting Irish literature and culture.

Other notable figures named Oisin include Oisin Fagan (1904-1976), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament), and Oisin McConville (born 1976), an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Armagh and won several prestigious honors, including an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2002.

Oisin has also been a popular name in modern times, particularly in Ireland and among members of the Irish diaspora worldwide. However, as per your request, recent census data from modern times will not be included in this report.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Oisin over time

The chart below shows babies named Oisin 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 Oisin, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 60 births in 2024, compared with 96 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Oisin
024487296199620102024

Decades

Oisin by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Oisin 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 #594 330 5
2010s #661 527 10
2000s #732 325 10
1990s #851 73 4

Geography

Where Oisin is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Oisin. 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.

Oisin ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #9 in 2024.

Northern Ireland
105
Scotland
17

Across the UK

Oisin in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#234 in 2024

22 years of NRS records, 166 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#9 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 2,778 total registered

Related

Names similar to Oisin

FAQ

Oisin: questions and answers

How popular is the name Oisin in the UK right now?

In 2024, Oisin was ranked #630 for boys in England and Wales, with 60 births registered.

When was Oisin most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 96 babies registered as Oisin in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Oisin?

A masculine Celtic name meaning "small deer" or "fawn".

How many people are called Oisin in the UK?

A total of 1,255 babies have been registered as Oisin across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 166 more in Scotland and 2,778 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Oisin most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Oisin ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #9 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.