Cullan

Meaning & origin

Cullan is a modern respelling of the traditional surname Cullen, which has roots in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The name first appeared in U.S. Social Security records in 1980 and reached its peak popularity in 1994, though it has never ranked among the top 1000 names. With a stable trajectory since the 1990s, Cullan remains a low-frequency but recognizable choice. Its meaning is debated, but most sources point to a derivation from Irish Ó Cuilinn ('descendant of Cuileann') or the Scottish Gaelic word for holly. Cullan has been borne almost exclusively by boys, and it has not recorded any top-state concentration in Social Security data. The name's contemporary feel comes from its phonetic spelling and use of the fashionable -an ending, similar to cousins Cullen and Callan.

Cullan is a variant spelling of Cullen. The Irish surname Ó Cuilinn means 'descendant of Cuileann,' a personal name derived from cuileann, meaning 'holly.' In Scotland, Cullen is also a habitational name from a place in Moray, possibly from Gaelic cuileann. The given name Cullan emerged in the late 20th century, particularly in the United States, as a modern respelling of the traditional surname-turned-first-name.