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Finlay

Boy / Girl name · 7,298 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Finlay: 7,298 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to both boys and girls, peaking at 370 births in 2007.

Finlay is a time-honoured Scottish name with Gaelic roots, evolving from *Fionnlagh*—a compound of *fionn* meaning "white" or "fair" and *laoch* meaning "warrior," thus "fair hero" or "white warrior." A notable bearer is Finlay MacDonald, the celebrated Highland piper and composer, while actor Finlay Currie brought the name to international screens in films like *Great Expectations*. Although no major place bears the name directly, the variant Finley appears in place-names across the English-speaking world. Interestingly,

Boy 52 of 52 years

Peak year
2007370 babies
Latest (2025)
#9216 babies
Total births
7,267since 1974
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2007 · 370
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).

Girl 8 of 52 years

Peak year
20056 babies
Latest (2005)
#4596 babies
Total births
31since 1993
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2005 · 6
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).