Home › Baby Names Directory › Flannery
Flannery
Pronounced FLAN-uh-ree /ˈflæn.ə.ri/High
Meaning: From the Irish surname O Flannabhra, from flann 'red, ruddy' plus abhra 'eyebrow' — 'red eyebrows'. Originally a surname and a men's name; in American use it reads mainly as a girls' name, carried by the writer Flannery O'Connor.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Flannery comes from the Irish surname O Flannabhra — 'descendant of the red-browed one'. Like many Irish surnames it moved into first-name use in America, where the Southern writer Flannery O'Connor made it unmistakably literary and unmistakably a woman's name, though its surname roots are unisex. We note the crossover (said 'FLAN-uh-ree').
It appears only rarely in U.S. records for girls. Rare, literary, and Irish to the bone.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Flannery…
Explore names like Flannery
Frequently Asked
What does the name Flannery mean?
Flannery means 'red eyebrows', from Irish flann ('red') and abhra ('eyebrow'), by way of the surname O Flannabhra.
How do you pronounce Flannery?
It's said FLAN-uh-ree /ˈflæn.ə.ri/ — three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Flannery a boy or girl name?
As a surname it is unisex, but in American first-name use it reads mainly as a girls' name, largely thanks to writer Flannery O'Connor.
How popular is Flannery?
Flannery is rare in the U.S., a quietly literary choice rather than a common one.