Mary in Irish: Maire
The Irish form of Mary is Maire. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish form
- Maire
- Gender
- Girl
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 112 for girls (2025)
How do you say Mary in Irish?
Mary in Irish is Maire, pronounced MY-ra. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Maire mean?
Maire is the Irish form of Mary. Mary is one of the English forms of the name.
Read more about Maire: its meaning, origin and stories
How popular is Mary in Ireland?
In 2025, 41 baby girls in Ireland were named Mary, which made it No. 112 that year. That's down from No. 74 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1964, when 3471 baby girls were named Mary, No. 1 that year. The records go back to 1964, when 3471 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 41 | No. 112 |
| 2024 | 46 | No. 105 |
| 2023 | 36 | No. 130 |
| 2022 | 64 | No. 87 |
| 2021 | 41 | No. 127 |
| 2020 | 64 | No. 82 |
| 2019 | 62 | No. 92 |
| 2018 | 105 | No. 58 |
| 2017 | 64 | No. 91 |
| 2016 | 70 | No. 84 |
| 2015 | 91 | No. 74 |
| 2014 | 88 | No. 77 |
| 2013 | 79 | No. 81 |
| 2012 | 99 | No. 71 |
| 2011 | 106 | No. 69 |
| 2010 | 123 | No. 59 |
| 2009 | 120 | No. 61 |
| 2008 | 121 | No. 60 |
| 2007 | 124 | No. 57 |
| 2006 | 124 | No. 52 |
| 2005 | 133 | No. 48 |
| 2004 | 133 | No. 44 |
| 2003 | 128 | No. 45 |
| 2002 | 140 | No. 41 |
| 2001 | 153 | No. 37 |
| 2000 | 140 | No. 37 |
| 1999 | 131 | No. 37 |
| 1998 | 128 | No. 34 |
| 1997 | 345 | No. 16 |
| 1996 | 356 | No. 16 |
| 1995 | 312 | No. 17 |
| 1994 | 352 | No. 12 |
| 1993 | 364 | No. 12 |
| 1992 | 396 | No. 13 |
| 1991 | 419 | No. 10 |
| 1990 | 445 | No. 11 |
| 1989 | 460 | No. 8 |
| 1988 | 505 | No. 7 |
| 1987 | 603 | No. 4 |
| 1986 | 570 | No. 6 |
| 1985 | 644 | No. 4 |
| 1984 | 669 | No. 2 |
| 1983 | 744 | No. 2 |
| 1982 | 822 | No. 1 |
| 1981 | 882 | No. 1 |
| 1980 | 964 | No. 1 |
| 1979 | 944 | No. 1 |
| 1978 | 1005 | No. 1 |
| 1977 | 972 | No. 1 |
| 1976 | 1131 | No. 1 |
| 1975 | 1227 | No. 1 |
| 1974 | 1375 | No. 1 |
| 1973 | 1529 | No. 1 |
| 1972 | 1581 | No. 1 |
| 1971 | 1907 | No. 1 |
| 1970 | 1896 | No. 1 |
| 1969 | 2182 | No. 1 |
| 1968 | 2364 | No. 1 |
| 1967 | 2591 | No. 1 |
| 1966 | 2861 | No. 1 |
| 1965 | 3229 | No. 1 |
| 1964 | 3471 | No. 1 |
Maire 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 Maire, letter by letter.
- MMuin, vine
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- RRuis, elder
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Mary
Questions about Mary
- What is Mary in Irish?
- The Irish form of Mary is Maire, pronounced MY-ra.
- How do you pronounce Maire?
- Maire is pronounced MY-ra. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- Is Mary a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Mary is a girl's name.
- How popular is Mary in Ireland?
- In 2025, Mary was No. 112 for girls in Ireland, with 41 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1964, at No. 1.