girl's name
Niamh
NEEV
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 51,229
Northern Ireland
#47
2024 births
Niamh is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "bright" or "radiant." In legend Niamh of the Golden Hair takes Oisín to Tír na nÓg, where three years pass as three hundred.
- Niamh is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1993, when 719 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 831 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
Niamh over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 729 |
| 1970s | 3,406 |
| 1980s | 4,762 |
| 1990s | 5,961 |
| 2000s | 3,917 |
| 2010s | 1,741 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 393 |
What Niamh means
Niamh means brightness, radiance or lustre. The Old Irish níam describes a shine or sheen — the quality of something that catches light rather than emits it.
Where Niamh comes from
Niamh comes from the Old Irish níam, brightness or lustre. In the Fenian cycle, Niamh Chinn Óir — Niamh of the Golden Hair — is a woman of Tír na nÓg, the land of youth, who takes the poet Oisín there; he stays what feels like three years, returns to find three hundred have passed, touches Irish soil and instantly ages. The spelling is the most common reason English speakers meet Irish orthography: mh represents a v sound, giving NEEV.
Niamh in use
Our data shows Niamh stable, peaking in 1993, at 208 in England and Wales against 3,518 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1964. That seventeen-fold gap is among the widest we hold, and reflects a spelling that English-speaking Americans find genuinely hard to read.
How popular is Niamh?
In 2025, Niamh was given to 54 babies in Ireland, ranking #90 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Niamh 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.
Names that peaked alongside Niamh
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Niamh also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Niamh over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Niamh 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.
Sibling names for Niamh
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Niamh — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Niamh
What does the name Niamh mean?
Niamh means "bright" or "radiant," from the Old Irish níam, lustre.
How do you pronounce Niamh?
NEEV. The mh represents a v sound, which is regular in Irish.
Who was Niamh in Irish legend?
Niamh of the Golden Hair, who takes the poet Oisín to Tír na nÓg — where three years pass as three hundred.
How popular is the name Niamh?
In 2025, Niamh was given to 54 babies in Ireland, ranking #90 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Niamh a girl's or a boy's name?
Niamh is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Niamh?
Niamh has 1 syllable.
When was Niamh most popular?
Niamh peaked in 1993, when 719 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Niamh a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Niamh currently ranks #47 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.