Grainne
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- GRAWN-yeh
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,101 for girls
- Style
- Big in Northern Ireland
Grainne is a girls' name of Irish origin. In 2025 it ranked 3,101st for girls in the UK (8 babies).
What does Grainne mean?
Irish: Old Irish name of uncertain meaning
In Irish legend Grainne eloped with Diarmuid; Grainne Mhaol was the 16th-century sea captain Grace O'Malley.
Is Grainne a girl's or a boy's name?
Grainne is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 8 girls in the UK. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Grainne in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,101st among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 8 about 1 in 35,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 33% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 8 girls in the UK were named Grainne, making it the 3,101st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,268th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 53 girls.
Half of all the girls named Grainne in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2011. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 205th in Northern Ireland.
Grainne in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | #3,101 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,966 |
| 2023 | 7 | #3,388 |
| 2022 | 8 | #3,050 |
| 2021 | 5 | #4,148 |
| 2020 | 12 | #2,268 |
| 2019 | 11 | #2,420 |
| 2018 | 4 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 6 | #3,774 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,893 |
| 2015 | 8 | #3,114 |
| 2014 | 6 | #3,702 |
| 2013 | 15 | #1,964 |
| 2012 | 12 | #2,319 |
| 2011 | 11 | #2,393 |
| 2010 | 12 | #2,234 |
| 2009 | 16 | #1,763 |
| 2008 | 16 | #1,745 |
| 2007 | 23 | #1,286 |
| 2006 | 16 | #1,614 |
| 2005 | 18 | #1,382 |
| 2004 | 16 | #1,488 |
| 2003 | 23 | #1,087 |
| 2002 | 25 | #990 |
| 2001 | 24 | #995 |
| 2000 | 27 | #898 |
| 1999 | 31 | #803 |
| 1998 | 53 | #567 |
| 1997 | 41 | #683 |
| 1996 | 14 | #1,381 |
Names like Grainne
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Charlotte, Chloe, Jasmine, Zoe, Georgia, Hannah, Sophie, Ellie, Emma, Molly, Sarah, Eleanor
More Irish names
Oscar, Rowan, Rory, Maeve, Finn, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Ronan, Connor, Declan, Casey
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Grainne: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/grainne, updated 20 October 2026.