Niamh
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- NEEV
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #181 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #3,516 for girls
Big in Northern Ireland
Niamh is a girls' name of Irish origin, meaning “bright, radiant”. In 2025 it ranked 181st for girls in the UK (311 babies) and 3,516th for girls in the US (43 babies).
What does Niamh mean?
Irish
“bright, radiant”
In Irish legend Niamh of the Golden Hair carries the hero Oisin away to the otherworld of Tir na nOg.
Is Niamh a girl's or a boy's name?
Niamh is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 311 girls in the UK and 43 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Niamh in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #181among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 311about 1 in 900 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 35% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.6%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 311 girls in the UK were named Niamh, making it the 181st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 106th. Its busiest year was 2000, with 1,621 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 17 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Niamh since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Niamh in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 483 girls in the UK were given Niamh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #133, up from #181 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 208th in England and Wales, 74th in Scotland and 77th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2004 (#48).
Niamh in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 311 | #181 |
| 2024 | 342 | #165 |
| 2023 | 415 | #135 |
| 2022 | 419 | #135 |
| 2021 | 499 | #112 |
| 2020 | 509 | #106 |
| 2019 | 553 | #102 |
| 2018 | 592 | #97 |
| 2017 | 663 | #89 |
| 2016 | 703 | #88 |
| 2015 | 720 | #91 |
| 2014 | 764 | #81 |
| 2013 | 817 | #77 |
| 2012 | 894 | #76 |
| 2011 | 998 | #66 |
| 2010 | 1,091 | #62 |
| 2009 | 1,164 | #61 |
| 2008 | 1,312 | #53 |
| 2007 | 1,250 | #57 |
| 2006 | 1,297 | #49 |
| 2005 | 1,527 | #43 |
| 2004 | 1,613 | #37 |
| 2003 | 1,364 | #43 |
| 2002 | 1,350 | #44 |
| 2001 | 1,432 | #41 |
| 2000 | 1,621 | #36 |
| 1999 | 1,603 | #39 |
| 1998 | 1,152 | #53 |
| 1997 | 900 | #73 |
| 1996 | 427 | #118 |
How popular is Niamh in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,516among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 43about 1 in 37,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 9% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 43 girls in the US were named Niamh, making it the 3,516th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,167th. Its busiest year was 2008, with 74 girls. It first appears in the records in 1969.
Half of all the girls named Niamh in the US since 1880 were born between 2001 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 113 girls in the US were given Niamh or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,559, up from #3,516 for this spelling alone.
Niamh in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 | #3,516 |
| 2024 | 51 | #3,119 |
| 2023 | 33 | #4,274 |
| 2022 | 37 | #3,961 |
| 2021 | 35 | #4,087 |
| 2020 | 33 | #4,167 |
| 2019 | 44 | #3,498 |
| 2018 | 40 | #3,738 |
| 2017 | 37 | #3,995 |
| 2016 | 45 | #3,464 |
| 2015 | 35 | #4,143 |
| 2014 | 53 | #3,110 |
| 2013 | 44 | #3,511 |
| 2012 | 46 | #3,463 |
| 2011 | 60 | #2,867 |
| 2010 | 43 | #3,623 |
| 2009 | 56 | #3,046 |
| 2008 | 74 | #2,538 |
| 2007 | 58 | #3,023 |
| 2006 | 69 | #2,602 |
| 2005 | 57 | #2,861 |
| 2004 | 69 | #2,443 |
| 2003 | 67 | #2,436 |
| 2002 | 57 | #2,670 |
| 2001 | 69 | #2,300 |
| 2000 | 60 | #2,504 |
| 1999 | 47 | #2,851 |
| 1998 | 47 | #2,795 |
| 1997 | 44 | #2,773 |
| 1996 | 24 | #4,301 |
| 1995 | 37 | #3,082 |
| 1994 | 22 | #4,516 |
| 1993 | 15 | #5,949 |
| 1992 | 13 | #6,645 |
| 1991 | 9 | #8,580 |
| 1990 | 9 | #8,495 |
| 1989 | 14 | #5,830 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 8 | #7,396 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 8 | #7,417 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 5 | #7,469 |
Names like Niamh
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Aoife Nevaeh Caoimhe Quinn Kiara Eilidh Maeve Ellie Eden Fiadh Chloe
Other spellings of Niamh
Names related to Niamh
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Orla Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy Callan
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, “Niamh: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/niamh, updated 20 October 2026.