Colman: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Colman is an Irish boy's name meaning “little dove.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated November 2026
- Meaning
- Little dove
- Gender
- Boy
How do you pronounce Colman?
Colman is pronounced KOL-man. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said KUL-a-mawn.
What does Colman mean?
Colman, in Irish Colmán, is an old Irish name meaning “little dove.” It is a diminutive of colm, “dove,” the word behind the name Colm. Patrick Woulfe (1923) noted that nearly one hundred Irish saints bore the name, three of them patrons of the dioceses of Cloyne, Dromore and Kilmacduagh.
St. Colmán mac Duagh (c. 560–632) lived as a hermit in the Burren before founding the monastery of Kilmacduagh in 610. Legend says that one Easter, after his strict Lenten fast, the banquet of his kinsman King Guaire of Connacht was carried away by unseen hands, and the king’s party found it set before Colmán. The limestone pavement nearby is still called Bóthar na Mias, “the road of the dishes.”
Sources: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia.
How popular is Colman in Ireland?
Colman wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2023, when 3 baby boys got the name. It was most popular in 1964, when 17 baby boys were named Colman, No. 125 that year. The most babies got the name in 1972: 23. The records go back to 1964, when 17 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | No. 770 |
| 2021 | 3 | No. 755 |
| 2020 | 4 | No. 637 |
| 2016 | 6 | No. 491 |
| 2012 | 4 | No. 616 |
| 2009 | 4 | No. 604 |
| 2008 | 3 | No. 698 |
| 2007 | 3 | No. 629 |
| 2005 | 3 | No. 518 |
| 2003 | 3 | No. 500 |
| 2002 | 6 | No. 313 |
| 2001 | 4 | No. 347 |
| 2000 | 3 | No. 390 |
| 1999 | 3 | No. 379 |
| 1998 | 3 | No. 369 |
| 1996 | 6 | No. 276 |
| 1995 | 5 | No. 281 |
| 1994 | 5 | No. 263 |
| 1993 | 4 | No. 302 |
| 1992 | 4 | No. 298 |
| 1991 | 8 | No. 216 |
| 1990 | 5 | No. 256 |
| 1989 | 4 | No. 278 |
| 1988 | 3 | No. 319 |
| 1987 | 10 | No. 197 |
| 1986 | 5 | No. 256 |
| 1985 | 8 | No. 207 |
| 1984 | 9 | No. 205 |
| 1983 | 14 | No. 178 |
| 1982 | 3 | No. 330 |
| 1981 | 7 | No. 239 |
| 1980 | 10 | No. 213 |
| 1979 | 8 | No. 228 |
| 1978 | 9 | No. 212 |
| 1977 | 13 | No. 184 |
| 1976 | 15 | No. 181 |
| 1975 | 10 | No. 210 |
| 1974 | 14 | No. 185 |
| 1973 | 11 | No. 200 |
| 1972 | 23 | No. 143 |
| 1971 | 23 | No. 140 |
| 1970 | 9 | No. 197 |
| 1969 | 16 | No. 146 |
| 1968 | 15 | No. 146 |
| 1967 | 11 | No. 164 |
| 1966 | 12 | No. 150 |
| 1965 | 16 | No. 129 |
| 1964 | 17 | No. 125 |
Colman 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 Colman, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- OOnn, gorse
- LLuis, rowan
- MMuin, vine
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Colman
Questions about Colman
- How do you pronounce Colman?
- Colman is pronounced KOL-man, with two syllables and the stress on the first. It can also be said KUL-a-mawn.
- What does Colman mean?
- Colman is an Irish boy's name meaning “little dove.”
- Is Colman a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Colman is a boy's name.
Sources: popularity from the Central Statistics Office, table VSA50 (CC BY 4.0). Meaning and origin from Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie) and Wikipedia. How we research names: our sources. Spotted a mistake? support@babynamesofireland.com