Ultan
Say it: UL-tan
BoyIrishMeans ulsterman5 letters2 syllables
#829
in Ireland (2025)
#492 with spellings combined
6
babies in 2025
#146
best rank (1969)
580
babies since 1964
Down 137
10-year rank change
Ultan through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #492 |
| 2024 | 4 | #628 |
| 2023 | 10 | #351 |
| 2022 | 11 | #357 |
| 2021 | 6 | #479 |
| 2020 | 7 | #441 |
| 2019 | 15 | #287 |
| 2018 | 15 | #287 |
| 2017 | 6 | #495 |
| 2016 | 11 | #353 |
| 2015 | 11 | #355 |
| 2014 | 10 | #382 |
| 2013 | 9 | #404 |
| 2012 | 18 | #267 |
| 2011 | 10 | #387 |
| 2010 | 12 | #338 |
| 2009 | 18 | #261 |
| 2008 | 12 | #328 |
| 2007 | 12 | #299 |
| 2006 | 15 | #239 |
| 2005 | 8 | #302 |
| 2004 | 15 | #203 |
| 2003 | 9 | #275 |
| 2002 | 5 | #348 |
| 2001 | 7 | #273 |
| 2000 | 10 | #214 |
| 1999 | 7 | #241 |
| 1998 | 11 | #193 |
| 1997 | 6 | #286 |
| 1996 | 11 | #208 |
| 1995 | 10 | #213 |
| 1994 | 9 | #208 |
| 1993 | 9 | #213 |
| 1992 | 7 | #238 |
| 1990 | 7 | #229 |
| 1989 | 7 | #215 |
| 1988 | 3 | #319 |
| 1987 | 3 | #303 |
| 1986 | 9 | #210 |
| 1985 | 6 | #234 |
| 1984 | 8 | #217 |
| 1983 | 4 | #282 |
| 1982 | 13 | #179 |
| 1981 | 10 | #206 |
| 1980 | 8 | #232 |
| 1979 | 8 | #228 |
| 1978 | 8 | #223 |
| 1977 | 7 | #234 |
| 1976 | 18 | #167 |
| 1975 | 8 | #225 |
| 1974 | 10 | #208 |
| 1973 | 17 | #169 |
| 1972 | 12 | #186 |
| 1971 | 15 | #168 |
| 1970 | 4 | #278 |
| 1969 | 16 | #146 |
| 1968 | 14 | #150 |
| 1967 | 8 | #187 |
| 1966 | 4 | #229 |
| 1965 | 4 | #222 |
| 1964 | 7 | #181 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Ultan mean?
Ulsterman
Irish Ultán, formed from the name of Ulster.
Say it right
ULtan
The story of Ultan
Ultan, in Irish Ultán, is formed from the name of Ulster and is usually taken to mean “Ulsterman”. It is an early Irish name, carried by more than one saint.
The best known is Ultan of Ardbraccan in Co. Meath, an abbot and bishop who died around 657. He is remembered as a patron saint of children. During the Yellow Plague he gathered orphaned infants into his monastery and worked out a way to feed them milk. He also collected writings about St Brigid, and his feast day is 4 September. St Ultan’s Hospital for infants, opened in Dublin in 1919 by Kathleen Lynn and Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, was named after him.
Ultan has been a small but steady name in Ireland since the 1960s. Its best rank was number 146 in 1969. Since 2018 the CSO has counted Ultan and Ultán separately, and in 2025 each was given to 3 boys.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ultan
- Wikipedia: Ultan of Ardbraccan
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Ultan | 3 | 560 |
| Ultán | 3 | 20 |
In Northern Ireland
#314 in 2025 with 5 babies. Best rank #249 (2021); 93 babies since 1999.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.