Mairead

Mairead - A very unique female name

Mairead appeared on the charts for the first time in 1977 on position #3212. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Mairead and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Mairead? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Mairead. The baby girl name Mairead was given to 17 baby girls in 2025, ranking #3158 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 76,675 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Mairead peaked in popularity 29 years ago in 1997 on position 2087.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Mairead, 1-5?

Mairead is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Mairead is currently topping the baby name charts in Massachusetts at position #503 - and is the least popular in New York at position #1,975.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Mairead is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Mairead origin and meaning

Irish form of Margaret, unaccented

From Margaret — Greek margarites, "pearl" — via Irish Mairead

Mairead is the unaccented US spelling of Irish Mairead, the Irish form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, "pearl." Bearers in Ireland are recorded with accents (Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh of Altan, for example), and under spelling discipline accented bearers do not transfer to this unaccented profile, so it ships bearer-empty. US use dates from 1977.

Attested etymology

Mairead is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Mairead, pop culture references for the name Mairead and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Mairead

We've found the following names that sound similar to Mairead, sorted by popularity.

Martha / Meredith / Marta / Marietta / Marita / Marty / Merritt / Marti / Myrtie / Meridith /

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Mairead

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Mairead a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Mairead?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

mah-RAYD · /məˈreɪd/
Irish pronunciation is mah-RAYD/muh-RADE; English readers often guess MY-reed.

Around the world

• Mairead (Irish) — Original Irish spelling with fadas
• Maighread (Scottish Gaelic) — Scottish cognate form

Spellings and nicknames

• Margaret — English base name — a separate established name

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

InternationalClassic

Why parents choose it

Margaret in its lyrical Irish form — traditional, musical and rare in the US.

Worth knowing

• Pronunciation is a genuine hurdle in English, and the accents are dropped in US records.