girl's name
Mairead
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 6,290
Northern Ireland
#330
2022 births
Mairead is a girl's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 33 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1982, when 200 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mairead over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2010s, still in progress — it covers 2010 to 2017, not a full ten years. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2017, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 356 |
| 1970s | 1,244 |
| 1980s | 1,435 |
| 1990s | 675 |
| 2000s | 219 |
| 2010s (to 2017) | 119 |
| 2020s (to 2017) | 27 |
How popular is Mairead?
In 2017, Mairead was given to 8 babies in Ireland, ranking #495 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Mairead is used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
How Mairead is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mairéad | Mairéad is a rare spelling of Mairead, written with a fada and recorded 41 times, mostly in Ireland. | 41 |
Names that peaked alongside Mairead
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mairead also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mairead over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Mairead in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Mairéad
Sibling names for Mairead
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mairead — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mairead
How popular is the name Mairead?
In 2017, Mairead was given to 8 babies in Ireland, ranking #495 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Mairead a girl's or a boy's name?
Mairead is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mairead?
Mairead has 2 syllables.
When was Mairead most popular?
Mairead peaked in 1982, when 200 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Mairead a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mairead currently ranks #388 in Ireland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.