Cuan: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Cuan is an Irish boy's name meaning “little hound.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Cúan
- Meaning
- Little hound
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Cuán, Cúán
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 135 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Cuan?
Cuan is pronounced KOO-an. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said KOO-awn. Other spellings: Cuán and Cúán.
What does Cuan mean?
Cúan comes from cú “hound, wolf” with the diminutive -án, so “little hound” or “little wolf.” Written Cuan, without a fada, it is also the everyday Irish word for a harbor or haven.
Rev. Patrick Woulfe counted four Irish saints named Cuan. In the early eleventh century Cúán úa Lothcháin, called chief poet of Ireland by the annals, wrote verse on the history of Tara for the high king Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill; he was killed in 1024. Parents today use several spellings, including Cúan, Cuán and Cuan.
Sources: Behind the Name, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), en.wiktionary.org, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia, Dictionary of Irish Biography.
How popular is Cuan in Ireland?
In 2025, 40 baby boys in Ireland were named Cúan, which made it No. 135 that year. Another 61 were registered as Cuan, Cuán or Cúán. That's up from No. 280 ten years earlier. It first appears in the records in 1982, with 3 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 101 | No. 135 (Cúan) |
| 2024 | 85 | No. 153 (Cúan) |
| 2023 | 77 | No. 150 (Cuán) |
| 2022 | 78 | No. 184 (Cuan) |
| 2021 | 74 | No. 210 (Cuan) |
| 2020 | 42 | No. 193 (Cuán) |
| 2019 | 40 | No. 295 (Cuán) |
| 2018 | 30 | No. 269 (Cuán) |
| 2017 | 31 | No. 188 (Cuan) |
| 2016 | 9 | No. 389 (Cuan) |
| 2015 | 16 | No. 280 (Cuan) |
| 2014 | 18 | No. 267 (Cuan) |
| 2013 | 16 | No. 282 (Cuan) |
| 2012 | 11 | No. 354 (Cuan) |
| 2011 | 14 | No. 308 (Cuan) |
| 2010 | 20 | No. 257 (Cuan) |
| 2009 | 8 | No. 404 (Cuan) |
| 2008 | 12 | No. 328 (Cuan) |
| 2007 | 10 | No. 326 (Cuan) |
| 2006 | 10 | No. 295 (Cuan) |
| 2005 | 9 | No. 283 (Cuan) |
| 2004 | 13 | No. 226 (Cuan) |
| 2003 | 4 | No. 423 (Cuan) |
| 2002 | 6 | No. 313 (Cuan) |
| 2001 | 4 | No. 347 (Cuan) |
| 1998 | 4 | No. 324 (Cuan) |
| 1997 | 4 | No. 337 (Cuan) |
| 1988 | 3 | No. 319 (Cuan) |
| 1982 | 3 | No. 330 (Cuan) |
Cuan 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 Cuan, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- UÚr, heather
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Cuan
Questions about Cuan
- How do you pronounce Cuan?
- Cuan is pronounced KOO-an. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Cuan mean?
- Cuan means “little hound.”
- Is Cuan a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Cuan is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Cuan in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Cúan. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- How popular is Cuan in Ireland?
- In 2025, Cúan was No. 135 for boys in Ireland, with 40 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. That's the highest it has ever ranked.