Finlay
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- FIN-lee
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #112 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,604 for boys
Big in Scotland
Finlay is a boys' name of Scottish origin, meaning “fair warrior”. In 2025 it ranked 112th for boys in the UK (524 babies) and 2,604th for boys in the US (50 babies).
What does Finlay mean?
Scottish: from Gaelic Fionnlagh
“fair warrior”
From the Gaelic Fionnlagh; Macbeth's father was Findláech, ruler of Moray.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Finlay a girl's or a boy's name?
Finlay is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 524 boys in the UK and 8 girls and 50 boys in the US.
How popular is Finlay in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #112among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 524about 1 in 570 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.4%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 524 boys in the UK were named Finlay, making it the 112th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 116th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 1,731 boys.
Half of all the boys named Finlay in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,418 boys in the UK were given Finlay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #16, up from #112 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 175th in England and Wales, 9th in Scotland and 149th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2004 (#63) and 2014 (#99).
Finlay in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 524 | #112 |
| 2024 | 516 | #116 |
| 2023 | 542 | #109 |
| 2022 | 476 | #131 |
| 2021 | 559 | #118 |
| 2020 | 568 | #116 |
| 2019 | 522 | #124 |
| 2018 | 586 | #121 |
| 2017 | 688 | #104 |
| 2016 | 756 | #100 |
| 2015 | 811 | #92 |
| 2014 | 902 | #84 |
| 2013 | 980 | #73 |
| 2012 | 1,105 | #70 |
| 2011 | 1,266 | #61 |
| 2010 | 1,309 | #64 |
| 2009 | 1,455 | #55 |
| 2008 | 1,535 | #56 |
| 2007 | 1,731 | #51 |
| 2006 | 1,580 | #50 |
| 2005 | 1,437 | #52 |
| 2004 | 1,278 | #58 |
| 2003 | 1,082 | #68 |
| 2002 | 938 | #72 |
| 2001 | 673 | #91 |
| 2000 | 582 | #103 |
| 1999 | 501 | #115 |
| 1998 | 266 | #153 |
| 1997 | 143 | #243 |
| 1996 | 126 | #258 |
How popular is Finlay in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,604among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 50about 1 in 34,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 8% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 50 boys in the US were named Finlay, making it the 2,604th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,545th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 64 boys. It first appears in the records in 1918. 8 girls were also named Finlay in 2025 (10,913th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Finlay in the US since 1880 were born between 2008 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,460 boys in the US were given Finlay or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #259, up from #2,604 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 14% of the babies named Finlay in the US were girls.
Finlay in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 50 | #2,604 |
| 2024 | 55 | #2,476 |
| 2023 | 50 | #2,613 |
| 2022 | 48 | #2,715 |
| 2021 | 54 | #2,463 |
| 2020 | 50 | #2,545 |
| 2019 | 38 | #3,100 |
| 2018 | 55 | #2,384 |
| 2017 | 56 | #2,318 |
| 2016 | 56 | #2,335 |
| 2015 | 64 | #2,145 |
| 2014 | 34 | #3,232 |
| 2013 | 41 | #2,802 |
| 2012 | 37 | #3,057 |
| 2011 | 35 | #3,163 |
| 2010 | 30 | #3,530 |
| 2009 | 50 | #2,527 |
| 2008 | 41 | #2,878 |
| 2007 | 44 | #2,721 |
| 2006 | 50 | #2,448 |
| 2005 | 42 | #2,610 |
| 2004 | 26 | #3,530 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4,421 |
| 2002 | 17 | #4,496 |
| 2001 | 21 | #3,837 |
| 2000 | 20 | #3,916 |
| 1999 | 7 | #7,867 |
| 1998 | 7 | #7,553 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 6 | #3,727 |
Nicknames for Finlay
- Finn 945 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Finlay
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn Brody Kian Aiden Kayden Ronan Declan Lochlan Logan Rowan Caelan Darragh
Other spellings of Finlay
Finley Finnley Findlay Fynnley Finlee Finnlay Fynley Finnlee
Names related to Finlay
More Scottish names
Isla Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Carson Maxwell Brodie Blair Lennox Skye Knox Dallas Reid Lachlan Mackenzie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Finlay: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/finlay, updated 20 October 2026.