Grainne: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Grainne is an Irish girl's name meaning “grain, corn.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Gráinne
- Meaning
- Grain, corn
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Grania
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 166 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Grainne?
Grainne is pronounced GRAW-nya. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Grania.
What does Grainne mean?
From gran “grain, corn”. Grainne in ancient Ireland was the patron of the harvest. In later legends Grainne was the name of the beautiful daughter of a High King of Ireland, Cormac Mac Art. She had been promised in marriage to the king Fionn Mac Cool (read the legend). When Grainne saw him at the wedding banquet she realised Fionn was too old for her and put a “geis”, a love spell on Fionn’s nephew, Diarmuid. They ran away together but Fionn’s pursuit prevented them from spending two consecutive nights in the same place. Megalithic sites throughout Ireland are still traditionally referred to as “the bed of Grainne and Diarmuid“ (read the legend).
Grainne in Irish legend
Grainne was the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the high king of Ireland. No woman could compare to her beauty.
Read The Pursuit of Diarmuid and GráinneHow popular is Grainne in Ireland?
In 2025, 28 baby girls in Ireland were named Gráinne, which made it No. 166 that year. That's up from No. 177 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1989, when 156 baby girls were named Grainne, No. 37 that year. The most babies got the name in 1982: 202. The records go back to 1964, when 99 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | No. 166 (Gráinne) |
| 2024 | 16 | No. 259 (Gráinne) |
| 2023 | 12 | No. 316 (Gráinne) |
| 2022 | 19 | No. 232 (Gráinne) |
| 2021 | 26 | No. 184 (Gráinne) |
| 2020 | 24 | No. 194 (Gráinne) |
| 2019 | 19 | No. 247 (Gráinne) |
| 2018 | 15 | No. 361 (Gráinne) |
| 2017 | 21 | No. 233 (Grainne) |
| 2016 | 18 | No. 254 (Grainne) |
| 2015 | 32 | No. 177 (Grainne) |
| 2014 | 22 | No. 229 (Grainne) |
| 2013 | 36 | No. 165 (Grainne) |
| 2012 | 31 | No. 184 (Grainne) |
| 2011 | 42 | No. 145 (Grainne) |
| 2010 | 39 | No. 160 (Grainne) |
| 2009 | 45 | No. 139 (Grainne) |
| 2008 | 75 | No. 88 (Grainne) |
| 2007 | 59 | No. 102 (Grainne) |
| 2006 | 70 | No. 86 (Grainne) |
| 2005 | 58 | No. 101 (Grainne) |
| 2004 | 102 | No. 57 (Grainne) |
| 2003 | 74 | No. 68 (Grainne) |
| 2002 | 74 | No. 71 (Grainne) |
| 2001 | 77 | No. 66 (Grainne) |
| 2000 | 85 | No. 52 (Grainne) |
| 1999 | 94 | No. 49 (Grainne) |
| 1998 | 70 | No. 56 (Grainne) |
| 1997 | 114 | No. 53 (Grainne) |
| 1996 | 81 | No. 65 (Grainne) |
| 1995 | 85 | No. 63 (Grainne) |
| 1994 | 105 | No. 52 (Grainne) |
| 1993 | 108 | No. 54 (Grainne) |
| 1992 | 113 | No. 53 (Grainne) |
| 1991 | 121 | No. 52 (Grainne) |
| 1990 | 113 | No. 55 (Grainne) |
| 1989 | 156 | No. 37 (Grainne) |
| 1988 | 143 | No. 49 (Grainne) |
| 1987 | 128 | No. 62 (Grainne) |
| 1986 | 118 | No. 72 (Grainne) |
| 1985 | 116 | No. 67 (Grainne) |
| 1984 | 122 | No. 69 (Grainne) |
| 1983 | 163 | No. 56 (Grainne) |
| 1982 | 202 | No. 45 (Grainne) |
| 1981 | 176 | No. 54 (Grainne) |
| 1980 | 195 | No. 50 (Grainne) |
| 1979 | 163 | No. 56 (Grainne) |
| 1978 | 167 | No. 55 (Grainne) |
| 1977 | 161 | No. 56 (Grainne) |
| 1976 | 158 | No. 57 (Grainne) |
| 1975 | 144 | No. 61 (Grainne) |
| 1974 | 141 | No. 65 (Grainne) |
| 1973 | 150 | No. 60 (Grainne) |
| 1972 | 152 | No. 53 (Grainne) |
| 1971 | 121 | No. 74 (Grainne) |
| 1970 | 127 | No. 66 (Grainne) |
| 1969 | 120 | No. 61 (Grainne) |
| 1968 | 123 | No. 60 (Grainne) |
| 1967 | 122 | No. 58 (Grainne) |
| 1966 | 121 | No. 57 (Grainne) |
| 1965 | 133 | No. 52 (Grainne) |
| 1964 | 99 | No. 62 (Grainne) |
Grainne in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Grainne, letter by letter.
- GGort, ivy
- RRuis, elder
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
- NNion, ash
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Grainne
Questions about Grainne
- How do you pronounce Grainne?
- Grainne is pronounced GRAW-nya. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Grainne mean?
- Grainne means “grain, corn.”
- Is Grainne a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Grainne is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Grainne in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Gráinne. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- How popular is Grainne in Ireland?
- In 2025, Gráinne was No. 166 for girls in Ireland, with 28 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1989, at No. 37.