Oisin: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Oisin is an Irish boy's name meaning “little deer.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Oisín
- Meaning
- Little deer
- Gender
- Boy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 5 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Oisin?
Oisin is pronounced osh-EEN. It has two syllables, with the stress on the second.
What does Oisin mean?
The son of the legendary warrior Fionn Mac Cool (read the legend) and the goddess Sive. His mother was turned into a deer by the Dark Druid and she reared him in the forest until he was seven years old. When Fionn was out hunting he found the child and recognising him as his son, gave him the name oisin “little deer.” He is best remembered for his love for “Niamh of the Golden Hair” with whom he spent 300 years in Tir-na-nOg, (“Land of Eternal Youth”). (Read the legend of Oisin and Niamh.) A very popular name again in Ireland.
Oisin in Irish legend
Grainne was the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the high king of Ireland. No woman could compare to her beauty.
Read The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne
One morning the Fianna were deer hunting on the shores of Lough Lein in County Kerry. They saw a beautiful white horse coming towards them.
Read Niamh and OisinHow popular is Oisin in Ireland?
In 2025, 331 baby boys in Ireland were named Oisín, which made it No. 5 that year. Another 20 were registered as Oisin, Oisìn, Oísin, Óisin or Óisín. That's up from No. 12 ten years earlier. The most babies got the name in 2008: 454. The records go back to 1964, when 3 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 351 | No. 5 (Oisín) |
| 2024 | 307 | No. 9 (Oisín) |
| 2023 | 349 | No. 5 (Oisín) |
| 2022 | 357 | No. 6 (Oisín) |
| 2021 | 329 | No. 12 (Oisín) |
| 2020 | 301 | No. 16 (Oisín) |
| 2019 | 332 | No. 13 (Oisín) |
| 2018 | 331 | No. 15 (Oisín) |
| 2017 | 351 | No. 11 (Oisin) |
| 2016 | 398 | No. 8 (Oisin) |
| 2015 | 365 | No. 12 (Oisin) |
| 2014 | 381 | No. 13 (Oisin) |
| 2013 | 392 | No. 14 (Oisin) |
| 2012 | 407 | No. 14 (Oisin) |
| 2011 | 436 | No. 15 (Oisin) |
| 2010 | 401 | No. 17 (Oisin) |
| 2009 | 423 | No. 17 (Oisin) |
| 2008 | 454 | No. 16 (Oisin) |
| 2007 | 407 | No. 18 (Oisin) |
| 2006 | 413 | No. 16 (Oisin) |
| 2005 | 370 | No. 21 (Oisin) |
| 2004 | 384 | No. 18 (Oisin) |
| 2003 | 342 | No. 20 (Oisin) |
| 2002 | 300 | No. 25 (Oisin) |
| 2001 | 283 | No. 23 (Oisin) |
| 2000 | 287 | No. 22 (Oisin) |
| 1999 | 249 | No. 25 (Oisin) |
| 1998 | 174 | No. 37 (Oisin) |
| 1997 | 171 | No. 49 (Oisin) |
| 1996 | 132 | No. 57 (Oisin) |
| 1995 | 137 | No. 56 (Oisin) |
| 1994 | 120 | No. 60 (Oisin) |
| 1993 | 92 | No. 73 (Oisin) |
| 1992 | 84 | No. 77 (Oisin) |
| 1991 | 75 | No. 84 (Oisin) |
| 1990 | 69 | No. 89 (Oisin) |
| 1989 | 43 | No. 108 (Oisin) |
| 1988 | 47 | No. 103 (Oisin) |
| 1987 | 47 | No. 106 (Oisin) |
| 1986 | 40 | No. 110 (Oisin) |
| 1985 | 32 | No. 127 (Oisin) |
| 1984 | 28 | No. 130 (Oisin) |
| 1983 | 43 | No. 119 (Oisin) |
| 1982 | 43 | No. 116 (Oisin) |
| 1981 | 32 | No. 128 (Oisin) |
| 1980 | 26 | No. 140 (Oisin) |
| 1979 | 24 | No. 142 (Oisin) |
| 1978 | 20 | No. 157 (Oisin) |
| 1977 | 19 | No. 159 (Oisin) |
| 1976 | 20 | No. 154 (Oisin) |
| 1975 | 13 | No. 192 (Oisin) |
| 1974 | 17 | No. 167 (Oisin) |
| 1973 | 20 | No. 157 (Oisin) |
| 1972 | 14 | No. 180 (Oisin) |
| 1971 | 16 | No. 164 (Oisin) |
| 1970 | 15 | No. 163 (Oisin) |
| 1969 | 9 | No. 196 (Oisin) |
| 1968 | 8 | No. 187 (Oisin) |
| 1966 | 4 | No. 229 (Oisin) |
| 1965 | 5 | No. 207 (Oisin) |
| 1964 | 3 | No. 232 (Oisin) |
Oisin 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 Oisin, letter by letter.
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- SSail, willow
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Oisin
Questions about Oisin
- How do you pronounce Oisin?
- Oisin is pronounced osh-EEN. Two syllables, stress on the second. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Oisin mean?
- Oisin means “little deer.”
- Is Oisin a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Oisin is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Oisin in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Oisín. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- How popular is Oisin in Ireland?
- In 2025, Oisín was No. 5 for boys in Ireland, with 331 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. That's the highest it has ever ranked.