NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Tadhg

Irish masculine given name meaning "poet" or "philosopher".

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.

Tadhg is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Tadhg popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #406, with 100 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 100 births.

This profile covers 884 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.

Tadhg is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 1,160 living people in the UK are called Tadhg. 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

  • Tadhg ranked #406 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 100 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 100 boys were registered as Tadhg.
  • Tadhg ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #99 in 2024.
  • About 1,160 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tadhg as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#406

2024

Births in 2024

100

Latest year

Peak year

2024

100 births

Estimated living

1,160

2026

Meaning

What does Tadhg mean?

The name Tadhg is an ancient Irish Gaelic name derived from the Old Irish word "togach" which means "poet" or "philosopher." It originated in Ireland during the medieval period and has been in use for centuries.

Tadhg is a classic Irish masculine name closely associated with Irish mythology and folklore. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was the legendary Irish warrior and hero Tadhg Mór Ua Ceallaigh, who lived in the 10th century and served as the King of Uí Maine, a medieval kingdom located in what is now County Galway.

In early Irish literature, Tadhg appears as the name of several important figures, including Tadhg mac Nuadat, a mythological character from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. The name is also found in medieval Irish annals and historical records, indicating its widespread use among the Irish nobility and ruling classes during the Middle Ages.

Notable historical figures with the name Tadhg include Tadhg Óg Ó hUiginn, a renowned 16th-century Irish poet and historian (born around 1550); Tadhg Ó Cianáin, a 17th-century Irish Franciscan friar and historian (1622-1703); and Tadhg Ó Rodaighe, a renowned 18th-century Irish poet and scholar (1719-1785).

In more recent times, the name Tadhg has been borne by several notable Irish figures, such as Tadhg Ó Cianáin, an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin senior team in the 1970s; Tadhg Kennelly, an Irish-born Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans (born 1981); and Tadhg Furlong, an Irish professional rugby union player who plays for Leinster and the Irish national team (born 1992).

Overall, the name Tadhg has a rich history and cultural significance in Ireland, reflecting the country's deep-rooted Celtic heritage and traditions. Its enduring popularity over the centuries is a testament to the reverence and respect for the Irish language and culture.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Tadhg over time

The chart below shows babies named Tadhg 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 Tadhg, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 100 births in 2024, compared with 100 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Tadhg
0255075100199620102024

Decades

Tadhg by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tadhg 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 #487 412 5
2010s #1133 275 10
2000s #1240 157 10
1990s #1442 40 4

Geography

Where Tadhg is most common

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

Tadhg ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #99 in 2024.

Northern Ireland
24
Scotland
12

Across the UK

Tadhg in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#307 in 2024

8 years of NRS records, 49 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#99 in 2024

21 years of NISRA records, 234 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Tadhg

  • Tadhg Ó Donnchadha

    poet; editor; writer

    Irish writer (1874-1949)

    1874-1949

Related

Names similar to Tadhg

FAQ

Tadhg: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Tadhg was ranked #406 for boys in England and Wales, with 100 births registered.

When was Tadhg most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 100 babies registered as Tadhg in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Tadhg?

Irish masculine given name meaning "poet" or "philosopher".

How many people are called Tadhg in the UK?

A total of 884 babies have been registered as Tadhg across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 49 more in Scotland and 234 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Tadhg most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Tadhg ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #99 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.