Peadar: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Peadar is an Irish boy's name meaning “the rock.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- The rock
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Peter
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 232 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Peadar?
Peadar is pronounced PAD-ar. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Peadair.
What does Peadar mean?
Peadar is the Irish form of Peter, used in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Peter comes from the Greek Petros, “stone” or “rock,” a translation of the Aramaic Cephas, the name Jesus gave to the apostle Simon. As the name of the leading apostle, it spread throughout the Christian world.
In Irish, Peadar is a relatively recent form: the name scholar Patrick Woulfe noted in 1923 that Piaras, from the Norman Piers, had earlier been the usual Irish equivalent. Peadar is still in use in Ireland today. Well-known bearers include the priest and writer Peadar Ua Laoghaire (1839–1920), whose Séadna was the first major literary work of the Gaelic revival, and Peadar Kearney (1883–1942), who wrote the words of “A Soldier’s Song,” now the Irish national anthem.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia.
How popular is Peadar in Ireland?
In 2025, 20 baby boys in Ireland were named Peadar, which made it No. 232 that year. That's up from No. 345 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1984, when 15 baby boys were named Peadar, No. 166 that year. The most babies got the name in 2021: 21. It first appears in the records in 1965, with 9 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | No. 232 |
| 2024 | 19 | No. 231 |
| 2023 | 15 | No. 288 |
| 2022 | 19 | No. 251 |
| 2021 | 21 | No. 232 |
| 2020 | 16 | No. 280 |
| 2019 | 20 | No. 237 |
| 2018 | 17 | No. 269 |
| 2017 | 13 | No. 317 |
| 2016 | 9 | No. 389 |
| 2015 | 12 | No. 345 |
| 2014 | 12 | No. 347 |
| 2013 | 11 | No. 352 |
| 2012 | 9 | No. 401 |
| 2011 | 18 | No. 272 |
| 2010 | 13 | No. 322 |
| 2009 | 11 | No. 337 |
| 2008 | 9 | No. 386 |
| 2007 | 6 | No. 435 |
| 2006 | 10 | No. 295 |
| 2005 | 7 | No. 343 |
| 2004 | 7 | No. 322 |
| 2003 | 4 | No. 423 |
| 2002 | 5 | No. 348 |
| 2001 | 4 | No. 347 |
| 2000 | 5 | No. 312 |
| 1999 | 3 | No. 379 |
| 1998 | 6 | No. 242 |
| 1997 | 10 | No. 233 |
| 1996 | 7 | No. 261 |
| 1995 | 4 | No. 301 |
| 1994 | 5 | No. 263 |
| 1993 | 9 | No. 213 |
| 1992 | 8 | No. 222 |
| 1991 | 8 | No. 216 |
| 1990 | 11 | No. 193 |
| 1989 | 8 | No. 208 |
| 1988 | 7 | No. 215 |
| 1987 | 14 | No. 177 |
| 1986 | 10 | No. 203 |
| 1985 | 11 | No. 185 |
| 1984 | 15 | No. 166 |
| 1983 | 10 | No. 202 |
| 1982 | 8 | No. 223 |
| 1981 | 10 | No. 206 |
| 1980 | 11 | No. 205 |
| 1979 | 9 | No. 218 |
| 1978 | 4 | No. 283 |
| 1977 | 5 | No. 273 |
| 1976 | 18 | No. 167 |
| 1975 | 7 | No. 236 |
| 1974 | 9 | No. 218 |
| 1973 | 7 | No. 238 |
| 1972 | 9 | No. 207 |
| 1971 | 4 | No. 280 |
| 1970 | 7 | No. 219 |
| 1969 | 5 | No. 246 |
| 1968 | 6 | No. 207 |
| 1967 | 7 | No. 196 |
| 1966 | 5 | No. 219 |
| 1965 | 9 | No. 167 |
Peadar 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 Peadar, letter by letter.
- PPeith
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- DDair, oak
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Peadar
Questions about Peadar
- How do you pronounce Peadar?
- Peadar is pronounced PAD-ar. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Peadar mean?
- Peadar means “the rock.”
- Is Peadar a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Peadar is a boy's name.
- What is Peadar in English?
- The English form of Peadar is Peter.
- How popular is Peadar in Ireland?
- In 2025, Peadar was No. 232 for boys in Ireland, with 20 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1984, at No. 166.