Senan: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Senan is an Irish boy's name meaning “little old or wise one.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Little old or wise one
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Seanán
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 38 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Senan?
Senan is pronounced SEN-an. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said SEN-awn. Other spellings: Seanán.
What does Senan mean?
Senán comes from sen “old, wise” with the diminutive -án, so “little old one” or “little wise one.” Rev. Patrick Woulfe counted more than twenty Irish saints of the name, which is spelled Seanán in modern Irish.
The most celebrated is St. Senán of Inis Cathaigh (Scattery Island), in the Shannon estuary off Kilrush, County Clare. Born near Kilrush in the late fifth century, he founded a string of island churches, and legend says he drove a monster, the Cathach, from Inis Cathaigh before building his monastery there. He is counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, and his feast day is March 8.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia, Dictionary of Irish Biography, encyclopedia.com.
How popular is Senan in Ireland?
In 2025, 126 baby boys in Ireland were named Senan, which made it No. 38 that year. Another 24 were registered as Senán. That's up from No. 56 ten years earlier. The most babies got the name in 2019: 168. The records go back to 1964, when 6 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 150 | No. 38 (Senan) |
| 2024 | 124 | No. 59 (Senan) |
| 2023 | 96 | No. 83 (Senan) |
| 2022 | 134 | No. 59 (Senan) |
| 2021 | 146 | No. 56 (Senan) |
| 2020 | 137 | No. 51 (Senan) |
| 2019 | 168 | No. 41 (Senan) |
| 2018 | 121 | No. 59 (Senan) |
| 2017 | 125 | No. 57 (Senan) |
| 2016 | 128 | No. 58 (Senan) |
| 2015 | 136 | No. 56 (Senan) |
| 2014 | 140 | No. 60 (Senan) |
| 2013 | 147 | No. 58 (Senan) |
| 2012 | 126 | No. 65 (Senan) |
| 2011 | 121 | No. 67 (Senan) |
| 2010 | 103 | No. 74 (Senan) |
| 2009 | 96 | No. 85 (Senan) |
| 2008 | 97 | No. 85 (Senan) |
| 2007 | 72 | No. 101 (Senan) |
| 2006 | 65 | No. 95 (Senan) |
| 2005 | 54 | No. 106 (Senan) |
| 2004 | 48 | No. 113 (Senan) |
| 2003 | 25 | No. 156 (Senan) |
| 2002 | 14 | No. 204 (Senan) |
| 2001 | 10 | No. 226 (Senan) |
| 2000 | 8 | No. 236 (Senan) |
| 1999 | 8 | No. 222 (Senan) |
| 1998 | 8 | No. 222 (Senan) |
| 1997 | 17 | No. 174 (Senan) |
| 1996 | 10 | No. 223 (Senan) |
| 1995 | 11 | No. 206 (Senan) |
| 1994 | 5 | No. 263 (Senan) |
| 1993 | 8 | No. 223 (Senan) |
| 1992 | 4 | No. 298 (Senan) |
| 1991 | 3 | No. 324 (Senan) |
| 1990 | 4 | No. 286 (Senan) |
| 1989 | 6 | No. 232 (Senan) |
| 1988 | 6 | No. 235 (Senan) |
| 1987 | 6 | No. 235 (Senan) |
| 1986 | 8 | No. 217 (Senan) |
| 1985 | 9 | No. 202 (Senan) |
| 1984 | 9 | No. 205 (Senan) |
| 1983 | 6 | No. 237 (Senan) |
| 1982 | 4 | No. 286 (Senan) |
| 1981 | 6 | No. 246 (Senan) |
| 1980 | 6 | No. 252 (Senan) |
| 1979 | 5 | No. 269 (Senan) |
| 1978 | 4 | No. 283 (Senan) |
| 1977 | 6 | No. 253 (Senan) |
| 1976 | 7 | No. 232 (Senan) |
| 1975 | 9 | No. 216 (Senan) |
| 1974 | 10 | No. 208 (Senan) |
| 1973 | 7 | No. 238 (Senan) |
| 1972 | 5 | No. 254 (Senan) |
| 1971 | 6 | No. 242 (Senan) |
| 1970 | 7 | No. 219 (Senan) |
| 1969 | 7 | No. 216 (Senan) |
| 1968 | 4 | No. 243 (Senan) |
| 1967 | 5 | No. 222 (Senan) |
| 1966 | 4 | No. 229 (Senan) |
| 1965 | 4 | No. 222 (Senan) |
| 1964 | 6 | No. 191 (Senan) |
Senan 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 Senan, letter by letter.
- SSail, willow
- EEadhadh, aspen
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Senan
Questions about Senan
- How do you pronounce Senan?
- Senan is pronounced SEN-an. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Senan mean?
- Senan means “little old or wise one.”
- Is Senan a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Senan is a boy's name.
- How popular is Senan in Ireland?
- In 2025, Senan was No. 38 for boys in Ireland, with 126 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. That's the highest it has ever ranked.