Meara: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Meara is an Irish girl's name meaning “of the sea.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Of the sea
- Gender
- Girl
How do you pronounce Meara?
Meara is pronounced MEER-a. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Meara mean?
Meara is usually explained through the Irish mara, the form of muir, “sea,” that means “of the sea” (it is also the plural, “seas”). As a first name it is a modern, English-language usage rather than a traditional Irish name.
It is also an Irish surname. Patrick Woulfe listed Meara, with O’Meara and O’Mara, as English forms of Ó Meadhra, “descendant of Meadhair,” a name meaning “mirth.” The O’Mearas were a Dál gCais family, chiefs of Rosarguid in Upper Ormond, Co. Tipperary, and the town of Toomyvara, in Irish Tuaim Uí Mheára, takes its name from them. The first name may come from either source.
Sources: Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia, logainm.ie, Behind the Name.
How popular is Meara in Ireland?
Meara wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2024, when 3 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 2019, when 4 baby girls were named Meara, No. 716 that year. It first appears in the records in 2015, with 4 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | No. 898 |
| 2023 | 3 | No. 856 |
| 2019 | 4 | No. 716 |
| 2015 | 4 | No. 751 |
Meara 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 Meara, letter by letter.
- MMuin, vine
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Meara
Questions about Meara
- How do you pronounce Meara?
- Meara is pronounced MEER-a. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Meara mean?
- Meara means “of the sea.”
- Is Meara a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Meara is a girl's name.