Muirne: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Muirne is an Irish girl's name meaning “affection or festivity.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated November 2026
- Meaning
- Affection or festivity
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Morna, Myrna
How do you pronounce Muirne?
Muirne is pronounced MIR-ne. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Muirne mean?
Muirne is an Irish girl’s name from the word muirn, which Ó Dónaill’s dictionary defines as “affection, endearment, tenderness” and also “exuberance, gaiety, festive mirth.” In Irish legend Muirne, also called Muireann Muncháem, “Muireann of the beautiful neck,” was the mother of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Her father, the druid Tadg mac Nuadat, turned away all her suitors, having foreseen that her marriage would cost him his home on the hill of Almu. Cumhall, leader of the fianna, carried her off; the High King Conn of the Hundred Battles outlawed him, and Cumhall was killed at the Battle of Cnucha. Muirne was already pregnant, and her son, first named Deimne, became known as Fionn. Behind the Name lists Myrna and Morna as related forms.
Sources: Behind the Name, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia.
How popular is Muirne in Ireland?
Muirne wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2022, when 4 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 1995, when 4 baby girls were named Muirne, No. 451 that year. The most babies got the name in 2021: 5. It first appears in the records in 1995, with 4 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 | No. 747 |
| 2021 | 5 | No. 661 |
| 2015 | 5 | No. 660 |
| 2014 | 3 | No. 876 |
| 2012 | 4 | No. 768 |
| 2008 | 4 | No. 750 |
| 2006 | 3 | No. 764 |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 606 |
| 1995 | 4 | No. 451 |
Muirne 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 Muirne, letter by letter.
- MMuin, vine
- UÚr, heather
- IIodhadh, yew
- RRuis, elder
- NNion, ash
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Muirne
Questions about Muirne
- How do you pronounce Muirne?
- Muirne is pronounced MIR-ne, with two syllables and the stress on the first.
- What does Muirne mean?
- Muirne is an Irish girl's name meaning “affection or festivity.”
- Is Muirne a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Muirne is a girl's name.
- What is Muirne in English?
- The English forms of Muirne are Morna and Myrna.
Sources: popularity from the Central Statistics Office, table VSA60 (CC BY 4.0). Meaning and origin from Behind the Name, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie) and Wikipedia. How we research names: our sources. Spotted a mistake? support@babynamesofireland.com