Meaning in the sources
Source-reportedMeaning: “battle + rule”
No etymology text in the cited sources.
Sources for this account (1)
- NameStoria: Cathal (cited meaning “battle + rule”)see the cited name page · retrieved 2026-10-16
Opening name…
Opening name…
A name. A world of connections.
“battle + rule”
Language contexts for this entry: not recorded
Matching spellings may have different histories. Explore matching entries
No sourced pronunciation yet
01 / Meaning & origin
Cáthal is recorded in Ireland — babies' first names with three or more occurrences, 1964–2025 (1964–2025), given to boys; no dictionary entry is in our sources yet. It is the statistics spelling of Cathal, for which the cited sources give the meaning “battle + rule”.
Meaning: “battle + rule”
No etymology text in the cited sources.
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
1
country in our sources
Select a country to follow Cáthal’s connections around the world.
1 country with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
1 of 1 country
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1964–2025 Spelling: Cáthal
Recorded category boys
Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.
Source: Central Statistics Office · Ireland — babies' first names with three or more occurrences, 1964–2025
Published integer counts retained without rounding.
Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.
| Year | Births | Rank | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1965 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1966 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1967 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1968 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1969 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1970 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1971 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1972 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1973 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1974 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1975 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1976 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1977 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1978 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1979 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1980 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1981 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1982 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1983 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1984 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1985 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1986 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1987 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1988 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1989 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1990 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1991 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1992 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1993 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1994 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1995 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1996 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1997 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1998 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1999 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2000 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2001 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2002 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2003 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2004 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2005 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2006 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2007 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2008 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2009 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2010 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2011 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2012 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2013 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2014 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2015 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2016 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2017 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2018 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2019 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2020 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2021 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2022 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2023 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 2024 | 4 | 655 | observed |
| 2025 | no value | no value | not covered |
Statistics count the spelling “Cáthal” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure births. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.
Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.
Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC-BY-4.0
Read our methodology04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
Cathal— “eye of battle”
Cathuil, a derivative of Cath, is a great chieftain attended by three hundred followers; and Cathal, as the name became, continued in use among the O'Connors, who translate it as Charles. The favourite hero there was Cathal Crobhdearg, red-handed, who fought hard against the English invaders; and, therefore, was described by them as a blood-thirsty ruffian, and by native historians as pious and amiable, probably being both characters in turn. His name was probably the parent…
Cathuil, a derivative of Cath, is a great chieftain attended by three hundred followers; and Cathal, as the name became, continued in use among the O'Connors, who translate it as Charles. The favourite hero there was Cathal Crobhdearg, red-handed, who fought hard against the English invaders; and, therefore, was described by them as a blood-thirsty ruffian, and by native historians as pious and amiable, probably being both characters in turn. His name was probably the parent of the Scottish surname, Cadell; but a Welsh saint, named Cadell, a battle-defence or shield, lived in the twelfth century. He had been a fierce warrior, and a great enemy to the English; but during his recovery from some severe wounds, he repented, went to the Holy Land as a penitent, and finally became a monk, and the patron of many a Cadell besides.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part V, Chapter III (Gaelic Names), Section VII (Cath) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
A little story to keep
Take the story of Cáthal with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
Ireland — babies' first names with three or more occurrences, 1964–2025
Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
