Declan

A person I know named her daughter this but with the spelling, “Decklynn”. I’m sorry but that reminds me of a deck of a house. Seeing that the original spelling is Declan— to me, it makes sense, and it looks like a classic name. But, imagine growing up and becoming an adult and your name is Decklynn; what would you go by? Deck? Lynn? Dee?

Declan is a great Irish name. Strong, masculine with nice history. It’s a newer, unknown name in the states while an old man name in Ireland, Scotland. Americans, please stop using this name on your baby girls. It’s a boys name, has always been and always will be.

I personally dislike this name. It sounds like a -Lynn sound at the end. Which I like for girls.

Absolutely the most unhinged name I've ever seen of my life, I swear, people keep loving this old fashioned name for what? For their souls? Please people grow up.

It doesn't have the nicest look to it.

It's so funny to see so many young boys in UK & North America being named Declan. In Ireland, it's an old man's name. ;-)

I like it! Sounds super sexy!

Anyone I know with this name is a troublemaker.

Very handsome name.

One of my favorite boy names! I feel like it ages very well.

I really like the name Declan. I first heard it on the BBC show ‘Flatmates’ a few months ago. It’s Irish as well and I’m an eighth Irish.

This is cute and classy, what a nice name!

I for one love this name.

I don't know why, but Declan sounds sinister to me.

I do love the name Declan, being of half Irish decent. I just wish it hadn't become so overused like Atticus etc. Just to be part of a group of people who want to be unique by purposefully scouring what were once beautifully, unusual names. It just seems pretentious. And the group I am referring to try to pretend they are different by proclaiming that everyone else is boring. (My sister's bf, I am talking to you). But being different should not be forced. In my opinion, it just looks way too planned. If they were actually different they all wouldn't look exactly the same and use words/sayings like Handcrafted, Not So Much, cliche etc. :) Being different means not using pop culture terminology. Since I am not trying to be unique I will now say, rant over.

This was one of my favorite male names for years, because I am a huge Elvis Costello fan (born Declan Patrick McManus in 1954) and I didn't know anybody else who had that name. But in the past few years in the U.S., people seem to have caught on that it's a cool name, and now I am weary of hearing it on little boys. (And terrified that people will start to use it for girls.) It's still a great name, though.

Hi, I bear the name Declan, given to me by an Irish rev father who bore the name also. It has been wonderful, wherever I go people turn with great surprise on hearing the name Declan. It's such a fine name. People always forgive me easily, no matter the fault.

Hi All, my husband and I are Indians. Our little boy is now 3 months old. Yeah, kinda have to agree with some of the comments wherein he seems to be a little mischievous trouble maker - but - he's our doll!

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As you all can imagine, being Indian and having a name with Irish origins means a lot of explanations to be given to people who ask us "How did you guys even think of this ". Well, it's simple. It was love at first sight when I was 2 months pregnant and we were researching names.

This is one of my favorite Irish boys name. It is like Patrick, with both having an Irish Saint as a namesake, however this one tends to be less common. I recommend this for sons.

Declan is our firstborn. I first heard of the name while in Australia. I chose it for the meanings we found- man of prayer and full of goodness. While I think all little boys can be mischievous, our Declan is a great big brother, and a very caring boy. I love that this name doesn't imply a little baby or a grown man. I think it fits any age.

I have recently changed my name from a rather annoying Rufus to Declan. I love the "solidity" of the name and it's meaning. I will have to say here that whatever the 'initial/original' root meaning may have been, if truly lost, is irrelevant. What is important is what this generation has chosen as its meaning and that is "full of goodness" & "man of prayer" both of which are awesome and spiritually sound.

Our youngest son is named Deklan (prounounced Deck-lan) and he is the most caring, charming young man with a great wit. While he can be mischievous- what 12-year-old isn't? The name fits him perfectly!

I love the name Declan! It's one of my FAVE Irish male names. It's very handsome and cute! :D.

I've always liked the name Declan; spelt both ways (Declan, Deklan) it's a nice boyish name but it ages well. Also makes for a nice middle name and it goes with a lot of first names.

Um, ew. This doesn't even sound like a name, the pronunciation is just ugly. Never heard of it before, and hope I never meet anyone with this name.

I don't really like Declan because of the pronunciation. Sounds like "Deck Land."

I love it because it's charming and handsome, and I think it's really cool because I'm part Irish and found I have a few ancestors called Declan! (:

Declan is a really sweet name, one of my fav boys names actually :) and I'm not even Irish. :P :)

Since when do you have to be Irish to name your child Declan? That would be like saying that you cannot name your child Isabella when you are not Italian. I am not Irish at all and I adore this name. When I first read this name I figured that its pronounced DECK-lan. It surprises me that some people would pronounce it Dee-KLAN.

My son's first name is Declan. I think it's one of the most wonderful boys names I've ever heard. People who think it's a false Irish name are obviously misinformed. The name is real and centuries old. But I have to agree with it belonging to troublemakers. My Declan by far fits that description. Everyone has the right to like or dislike a name as they please, but close mindedness, I find irritating.

I'm not overly fond of this version of the name, as it's a rough English phonetic translation made a few centuries ago. Declan isn't bad, but I find the "deck" bit heavy and ugly. I think Déaglán is much nicer. Déaglán is an awesome, strong, masculine name for a boy.

I was going to be named this if I was a boy. I like it, sounds fun but professional. I also know a really cute little boy named this, he is so sweet and fun.

This name is kind of nice. It sounds like the name of an energetic boy.

It seems like a name that no matter the person's faults, they are really endearing and you'll always forgive them.

Yuck. This name is mostly used by parents who are too proud of their "Irish" heritage. Not only is the faux Irish trend ridiculous, but I can't even pronounce this name at all.

Declan is NOT faux Irish, like the ignorant person above stated. I have Irish heritage on my dad's side (I'm Canadian), and know of several ancestors with this name. I'm also familiar with the TV show Mysterious Ways and someone who looks like Adrian Pasdar is my "stereotypical" image of what a Declan should look like. I highly doubt that I will ever have children, but if I did, this would be my first choice for a boy. I simply love it.

If you are struggling with the pronunciation I worry for you. I thought you were an English speaker? Declan is Anglicised, it's pretty obvious how it's said.

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Oh and the faux Irish trend would involve something like the muddled Shayeleigh, Aeoedyean or O'Fallyn. Declan doesn't count. It's real.

The comment above is entirely ignorant! I believe the name is nice and simple, especially for a traditional Irish name, and is rather charming.

I loved the name Declan but I've always spelt it like "Deklan".

Love this name, but prefer the Deaglan spelling.

I love this name for many reasons, and plan on using it someday. I just sincerely hope that it's pronounced "DECK-lynn", and not "de-KLAN". What a cool name!

Love this name but I've come to associate it with little trouble makers! Lol, only for the reason that every Declan I know is one.