Lachlan
Say it: LOCK-lan
BoyMeans usually explained as "from the land of lochs", an old Gaelic name for Norway7 letters2 syllables
#317
in Ireland (2025)
#307 with spellings combined
13
babies in 2025
#262
best rank (2019)
212
babies since 1997
Up 48
10-year rank change
Lachlan through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #307 |
| 2024 | 13 | #293 |
| 2023 | 16 | #262 |
| 2022 | 14 | #297 |
| 2021 | 9 | #377 |
| 2020 | 15 | #284 |
| 2019 | 17 | #262 |
| 2018 | 12 | #324 |
| 2017 | 9 | #394 |
| 2016 | 18 | #263 |
| 2015 | 11 | #355 |
| 2014 | 7 | #468 |
| 2013 | 5 | #535 |
| 2012 | 9 | #401 |
| 2011 | 5 | #540 |
| 2010 | 3 | #720 |
| 2009 | 3 | #701 |
| 2008 | 11 | #346 |
| 2007 | 3 | #629 |
| 2006 | 6 | #385 |
| 2004 | 3 | #506 |
| 2003 | 4 | #423 |
| 2000 | 3 | #390 |
| 1997 | 3 | #382 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Lachlan mean?
Usually explained as "from the land of lochs", an old Gaelic name for Norway
Scottish Gaelic, from Lachlann, linked to Lochlann, a name for Scandinavia.
Say it right
LOCKlan
In Scotland the "ch" is often breathy, as in loch.
The story of Lachlan
Lachlan comes from the Scottish Gaelic Lachlann. It is linked to Lochlann, the Gaelic name for Scandinavia, usually read as “land of the lochs” or fjords. The name is said to have first marked someone who came from Norway, a Norseman. Irish has the related name Lochlann.
Lachlan has long been a Scottish name, and it became very popular in Australia, partly through Lachlan Macquarie, the Scottish-born governor of New South Wales. The Lachlan River there is named after him.
Lachlan first appears in the CSO records in 1997, but it stayed rare until the 2010s. Its biggest year was 2016, with 18 boys in 2016, and its best rank came in 2019, when it reached number 262. The CSO counts Lochlann as a separate name.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Lachlan (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Lachlan (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
LachieLockie
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Lachlan | 13 | 212 |
In Northern Ireland
#344 in 2025 with 4 babies. Best rank #226 (2021); 54 babies since 1998.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.