Mairead
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ma-RAYD
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,961 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #4,264 for girls
Big in Scotland
Mairead is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pearl”. In 2025 it ranked 1,961st for girls in the UK (15 babies) and 4,264th for girls in the US (33 babies).
What does Mairead mean?
Greek: Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret
“pearl”
Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret, from the Greek for pearl.
Is Mairead a girl's or a boy's name?
Mairead is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 15 girls in the UK and 33 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Mairead in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,961among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 15about 1 in 19,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 15 girls in the UK were named Mairead, making it the 1,961st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,526th. Its busiest year was 2000, with 54 girls.
Half of all the girls named Mairead in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 3,704th in England and Wales and 359th in Scotland.
Mairead in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #1,961 |
| 2024 | 13 | #2,175 |
| 2023 | 12 | #2,329 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,957 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,478 |
| 2020 | 21 | #1,526 |
| 2019 | 9 | #2,792 |
| 2018 | 11 | #2,464 |
| 2017 | 16 | #1,913 |
| 2016 | 17 | #1,853 |
| 2015 | 13 | #2,186 |
| 2014 | 17 | #1,810 |
| 2013 | 13 | #2,174 |
| 2012 | 17 | #1,828 |
| 2011 | 16 | #1,824 |
| 2010 | 20 | #1,575 |
| 2009 | 16 | #1,763 |
| 2008 | 24 | #1,293 |
| 2007 | 28 | #1,117 |
| 2006 | 20 | #1,364 |
| 2005 | 25 | #1,077 |
| 2004 | 29 | #967 |
| 2003 | 23 | #1,087 |
| 2002 | 30 | #867 |
| 2001 | 42 | #670 |
| 2000 | 54 | #571 |
| 1999 | 43 | #650 |
| 1998 | 37 | #728 |
| 1997 | 42 | #670 |
| 1996 | 37 | #699 |
How popular is Mairead in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,264among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 33about 1 in 49,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 17% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 33 girls in the US were named Mairead, making it the 4,264th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,878th. Its busiest year was 2002, with 59 girls. It first appears in the records in 1967.
Half of all the girls named Mairead in the US since 1880 were born between 1996 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
Mairead in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #4,264 |
| 2024 | 19 | #6,164 |
| 2023 | 37 | #3,982 |
| 2022 | 22 | #5,635 |
| 2021 | 29 | #4,603 |
| 2020 | 26 | #4,878 |
| 2019 | 25 | #5,161 |
| 2018 | 25 | #5,148 |
| 2017 | 35 | #4,146 |
| 2016 | 25 | #5,283 |
| 2015 | 24 | #5,456 |
| 2014 | 25 | #5,308 |
| 2013 | 31 | #4,541 |
| 2012 | 31 | #4,599 |
| 2011 | 28 | #4,913 |
| 2010 | 36 | #4,106 |
| 2009 | 50 | #3,297 |
| 2008 | 44 | #3,644 |
| 2007 | 49 | #3,376 |
| 2006 | 40 | #3,794 |
| 2005 | 34 | #4,114 |
| 2004 | 44 | #3,387 |
| 2003 | 51 | #2,953 |
| 2002 | 59 | #2,602 |
| 2001 | 43 | #3,194 |
| 2000 | 46 | #3,016 |
| 1999 | 43 | #3,045 |
| 1998 | 40 | #3,113 |
| 1997 | 53 | #2,447 |
| 1996 | 39 | #3,023 |
| 1995 | 43 | #2,783 |
| 1994 | 27 | #3,887 |
| 1993 | 22 | #4,518 |
| 1992 | 19 | #5,044 |
| 1991 | 30 | #3,534 |
| 1990 | 30 | #3,518 |
| 1989 | 18 | #4,842 |
| 1988 | 13 | #5,890 |
| 1987 | 14 | #5,307 |
| 1986 | 9 | #7,130 |
| 1985 | 9 | #6,952 |
| 1984 | 9 | #6,808 |
| 1983 | 7 | #8,045 |
| 1982 | 11 | #5,909 |
| 1981 | 7 | #8,126 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,390 |
| 1979 | 9 | #6,694 |
| 1978 | 8 | #6,946 |
| 1977 | 6 | #8,442 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 7 | #6,664 |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 7 | #6,617 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 6 | #6,041 |
Names like Mairead
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Chloe Zoe Maya Eilidh Zainab Safa Niamh Summer Maeve Eden Ayah Keira
Names related to Mairead
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Sophie Iris Maisie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mairead: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mairead, updated 20 October 2026.