Cabhan: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Cabhan is an Irish boy's name meaning “hollow.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Cabhán
- Meaning
- Hollow
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Cavan
How do you pronounce Cabhan?
Cabhan is pronounced KAV-an. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Cabhan mean?
Cabhán is an Irish word meaning “hollow,” and An Cabhán is the Irish name of Cavan, the Ulster county and its county town. The Irish dictionary also gives cabhán the sense “little hill,” and P. W. Joyce noted in Irish Local Names Explained that in parts of Ulster it means a round hill, so the word can describe either a hollow or a hill.
In English the name becomes Cavan, which as a first name can come either from the county or from the Irish surname Cavan.
Sources: Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), logainm.ie, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia, Behind the Name.
How popular is Cabhan in Ireland?
Cabhan is rare in Ireland. Since 1964, fewer than three baby boys a year have been registered with the name, so it doesn't appear in the Central Statistics Office's baby name tables.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies’ Names 2025 and its boys' names table.
Cabhan in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Cabhan, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- AAilm, pine
- BBeith, birch
- HUath, hawthorn
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Cabhan
Questions about Cabhan
- How do you pronounce Cabhan?
- Cabhan is pronounced KAV-an. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Cabhan mean?
- Cabhan means “hollow.”
- Is Cabhan a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Cabhan is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Cabhan in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Cabhán.
- What is Cabhan in English?
- The English form of Cabhan is Cavan.
- What is Cavan in Irish?
- Cavan in Irish is Cabhan, pronounced KAV-an. Cabhan means “hollow.”
- Is Cabhan a rare name?
- Yes. Fewer than three boys a year are registered as Cabhan in Ireland, too few to appear in the Central Statistics Office's tables.