Seán Óg

Seán Óg means “young Seán”. Óg is the Irish word for young, and after a name it works much like “junior” in English, so it has long been used for a son who shares his father’s name. Seán is the Irish form of John, which goes back to a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious”. In many families Seán Óg was simply what people called the boy at home, while his birth certificate said Seán.

The name is well known through sport. The Cork hurler and footballer Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is one of its best-known bearers.

It first appears in the CSO records in 2005, as parents began registering the two words as a full first name. Its biggest year was 2022, with 24 boys. Before 2018 the CSO recorded no fadas, so earlier babies are all listed as Sean Og, and in 2025 all 17 boys were registered as Seán Óg.