Darragh

Darragh is an English spelling of an Irish name, and its roots are not fully settled. It is often explained as “oak”, from the Irish dair (oak) and doire (oak grove). It is also treated as a form of Dara, which goes back to the old name Dáire. Dáire was borne by many figures of early Irish legend, and its meaning is usually given as “fruitful” or “violent”. As a surname, Darragh comes from Ó Dubhdarach, built from dubh (black) and darach (of the oak).

Well-known bearers include the Kerry footballer Darragh Ó Sé.

Darragh first appears in the CSO records in 1965 and grew steadily for four decades. It reached number 13 in 2007, its best year, when 472 boys were given the name. In 2025 it was number 19 in the CSO’s table. In Northern Ireland its best rank was 20th, in 2021. A few girls have been called Darragh too, but only a handful.