Mairead: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Mairead is an Irish girl's name meaning “pearl.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Mairéad
- Meaning
- Pearl
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Margaret
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 381 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Mairead?
Mairead is pronounced mawr-AID. It has two syllables, with the stress on the second. It can also be said mur-AID. Other spellings: Muiread.
What does Mairead mean?
Mairéad is the Irish form of Margaret, from the Latin Margarita and the Greek margarites, “pearl.” The name owed its spread in medieval Europe to Saint Margaret of Antioch, an early Christian martyr, and it was brought to Ireland by the Anglo-Normans.
Margaret appears in the Irish annals from the fourteenth century and was well established among Gaelic noble families by the fifteenth. Mairgréag Ní Chearbhaill (Margaret O’Carroll, died 1451) was remembered for two great feasts she gave in 1433 and for her patronage of poets and learning. Other Irish spellings include Máiréad, Maighréad and Mairghréad. Modern bearers include Mairead Maguire, the Belfast peace campaigner who shared the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), medievalscotland.org, Wikipedia.
How popular is Mairead in Ireland?
In 2025, 10 baby girls in Ireland were named Mairéad, which made it No. 381 that year. That's down from No. 345 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1982, when 200 baby girls were named Mairead, No. 46 that year. The records go back to 1964, when 47 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | No. 381 (Mairéad) |
| 2024 | 3 | No. 898 (Mairéad) |
| 2023 | 5 | No. 625 (Mairéad) |
| 2021 | 4 | No. 764 (Mairéad) |
| 2020 | 5 | No. 628 (Mairéad) |
| 2019 | 7 | No. 502 (Mairéad) |
| 2018 | 7 | No. 512 (Mairéad) |
| 2017 | 8 | No. 471 (Mairead) |
| 2016 | 7 | No. 515 (Mairead) |
| 2015 | 14 | No. 345 (Mairead) |
| 2014 | 14 | No. 336 (Mairead) |
| 2013 | 15 | No. 315 (Mairead) |
| 2012 | 11 | No. 414 (Mairead) |
| 2011 | 24 | No. 220 (Mairead) |
| 2010 | 12 | No. 395 (Mairead) |
| 2009 | 23 | No. 232 (Mairead) |
| 2008 | 18 | No. 281 (Mairead) |
| 2007 | 14 | No. 307 (Mairead) |
| 2006 | 25 | No. 186 (Mairead) |
| 2005 | 26 | No. 173 (Mairead) |
| 2004 | 21 | No. 189 (Mairead) |
| 2003 | 15 | No. 233 (Mairead) |
| 2002 | 19 | No. 197 (Mairead) |
| 2001 | 25 | No. 162 (Mairead) |
| 2000 | 33 | No. 124 (Mairead) |
| 1999 | 35 | No. 120 (Mairead) |
| 1998 | 37 | No. 99 (Mairead) |
| 1997 | 59 | No. 90 (Mairead) |
| 1996 | 52 | No. 104 (Mairead) |
| 1995 | 65 | No. 83 (Mairead) |
| 1994 | 68 | No. 86 (Mairead) |
| 1993 | 76 | No. 81 (Mairead) |
| 1992 | 76 | No. 84 (Mairead) |
| 1991 | 95 | No. 72 (Mairead) |
| 1990 | 112 | No. 57 (Mairead) |
| 1989 | 114 | No. 62 (Mairead) |
| 1988 | 115 | No. 64 (Mairead) |
| 1987 | 112 | No. 70 (Mairead) |
| 1986 | 125 | No. 65 (Mairead) |
| 1985 | 136 | No. 58 (Mairead) |
| 1984 | 152 | No. 53 (Mairead) |
| 1983 | 139 | No. 63 (Mairead) |
| 1982 | 200 | No. 46 (Mairead) |
| 1981 | 180 | No. 53 (Mairead) |
| 1980 | 162 | No. 60 (Mairead) |
| 1979 | 147 | No. 63 (Mairead) |
| 1978 | 150 | No. 61 (Mairead) |
| 1977 | 154 | No. 58 (Mairead) |
| 1976 | 132 | No. 68 (Mairead) |
| 1975 | 150 | No. 59 (Mairead) |
| 1974 | 133 | No. 70 (Mairead) |
| 1973 | 109 | No. 80 (Mairead) |
| 1972 | 113 | No. 77 (Mairead) |
| 1971 | 79 | No. 107 (Mairead) |
| 1970 | 77 | No. 103 (Mairead) |
| 1969 | 65 | No. 109 (Mairead) |
| 1968 | 62 | No. 107 (Mairead) |
| 1967 | 61 | No. 102 (Mairead) |
| 1966 | 61 | No. 104 (Mairead) |
| 1965 | 60 | No. 104 (Mairead) |
| 1964 | 47 | No. 114 (Mairead) |
Mairead 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 Mairead, letter by letter.
- MMuin, vine
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- RRuis, elder
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- DDair, oak
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Mairead
Questions about Mairead
- How do you pronounce Mairead?
- Mairead is pronounced mawr-AID. Two syllables, stress on the second. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Mairead mean?
- Mairead means “pearl.”
- Is Mairead a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Mairead is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Mairead in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Mairéad. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- What is Mairead in English?
- The English form of Mairead is Margaret.
- How popular is Mairead in Ireland?
- In 2025, Mairéad was No. 381 for girls in Ireland, with 10 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1982, at No. 46.