| Quinn | Darcy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Descendant of Conn; chief | dark one; or from Arcy (place name) — two origins |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | KWIN | DAR-see |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1948 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2016 (3,649) | 1970 (681) |
| In 2025 | 2,634 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Quinn | Darcy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,572 | 1,479 |
| 2010s | 27,227 | 1,742 |
| 2000s | 4,439 | 1,341 |
| 1990s | 1,821 | 1,888 |
| 1980s | 945 | 3,279 |
| 1970s | 326 | 4,985 |
| 1960s | 163 | 5,588 |
| 1950s | 5 | 2,706 |
| 1940s | 5 | 362 |
| 1930s | 0 | 33 |
| 1920s | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
Quinn comes from the Irish surname Ó Cuinn, “descendant of Conn,” with Conn carrying the sense of “chief” or “wisdom.”
Two distinct origins: as an Irish name it anglicizes O Dorchaidhe, from 'dorcha' meaning 'dark', giving 'dark one'; as an English/Norman name it is the aristocratic d'Arcy, a locational surname meaning 'from Arcy' in Normandy, with no 'dark' sense. Both are genuine; flag which is intended.
Quinn is more popular than Darcy today: about 2,634 US babies were given the name Quinn in 2025, compared with 0 named Darcy.
Quinn means Descendant of Conn; chief (Irish origin), while Darcy means dark one; or from Arcy (place name) — two origins (irish origin).
In US records, Quinn first appears in 1948 and Darcy in 0, so Darcy has the longer recorded history.