Cathair
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAH-her
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,511 for boys
Big in Northern Ireland
Cathair is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “battle warrior”. In 2025 it ranked 2,511th for boys in the UK (9 babies).
What does Cathair mean?
Irish: Old Irish name, also spelled Cathaoir
“battle warrior”
Cathair Mór was a legendary king of Leinster, claimed as ancestor by several Leinster families.
Is Cathair a girl's or a boy's name?
Cathair is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cathair in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,511among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9about 1 in 33,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the UK were named Cathair, making it the 2,511th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,025th. Its busiest year was 2004, with 12 boys.
Half of all the boys named Cathair in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 34 boys in the UK were given Cathair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #882, up from #2,511 for this spelling alone.
- Cahir 25
- Cathair 9
Among boys in 2025, it was 212th in Northern Ireland.
Cathair in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,511 |
| 2024 | 8 | #2,750 |
| 2023 | 3 | #5,193 |
| 2022 | 11 | #2,143 |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,025 |
| 2019 | 11 | #2,102 |
| 2018 | 6 | #3,162 |
| 2017 | 3 | #4,995 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,425 |
| 2014 | 7 | #2,843 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,167 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,092 |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 7 | #2,616 |
| 2007 | 9 | #2,139 |
| 2006 | 6 | #2,645 |
| 2005 | 8 | #2,090 |
| 2004 | 12 | #1,494 |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 5 | #2,358 |
| 2001 | 3 | #3,255 |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 8 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | 6 | #1,932 |
Names like Cathair
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cody Finn Oscar Kian Finley Caelan Rowan Casey Conan Oisin Lennon Darragh
Other spellings of Cathair
More Irish names
Rory Maeve Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Erin Ronan Connor Declan Kennedy Callan Cillian Kevin Sloane
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cathair: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cathair, updated 20 October 2026.