Turlough
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TUR-loh
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,329 for boys
- Style
- Big in Northern Ireland
Turlough is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “instigator”. In 2025 it ranked 3,329th for boys in the UK (6 babies).
What does Turlough mean?
Irish: anglicised form of Toirdhealbhach
“instigator”
Turlough O'Carolan was a blind Irish harper and composer of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Is Turlough a girl's or a boy's name?
Turlough is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Turlough in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,329th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 6 about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 6 boys in the UK were named Turlough, making it the 3,329th most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 1999, with 6 boys.
2025 had more boys named Turlough than any year since 1999.
Half of all the boys named Turlough in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 270th in Northern Ireland.
Turlough in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #3,329 |
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 1 | #6,413 |
| 2021 | 5 | #3,614 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 5 | #3,596 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 3 | #4,884 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 4 | #3,748 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 5 | #2,326 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 6 | #1,941 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 1 | #3,857 |
| 1996 | 1 | #3,776 |
Names like Turlough
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronan, Conan, Conlan, Rowan, Finn, Callan, Rian, Connla, Conn, Darragh, Conall, Rory
More Irish names
Oscar, Maeve, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Connor, Declan, Casey, Kennedy, Lennon, Cillian, Kevin
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, “Turlough: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/turlough, updated 20 October 2026.