Girl · #8,386 in 2026

Deirdre

Deirdre is a feminine given name of Celtic origin and of unknown meaning. Deirdre is the name of a tragic heroine of Irish mythology. More attention was drawn to the name during the early 20th century in Ireland and throughout the Anglosphere after W. B. Yeats published his poem Deirdre in 1907 and playwright J.M. Synge published his play Deirdre of the Sorrows in 1910.

  • English
  • Irish
  • Irish Mythology
Current Rank
#8,386
Peak Rank
#333 (1961)
Total Babies
17K
5-Yr Trend
-22%
1921
First Year
2026
Last Year
1961
Peak Year
#333
Peak Rank
17K
Total Count
104
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Deirdre

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Deirdre is a feminine given name of Celtic origin and of unknown meaning. Deirdre is the name of a tragic heroine of Irish mythology. More attention was drawn to the name during the early 20th century in Ireland and throughout the Anglosphere after W. B. Yeats published his poem Deirdre in 1907 and playwright J.M. Synge published his play Deirdre of the Sorrows in 1910.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • Irish
  • Irish Mythology

The Story of Deirdre

The earliest SSA record of Deirdre as a baby girl name dates back to 1921, when 6 babies received it. 1961 was its biggest year on record, with 799 newborns named Deirdre — #333 in the national rankings. About 38% of every Deirdre on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Deirdre ranks #8,386 for baby girls with 11 births, falling sharply (-22%). All told, over 17K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Deirdre

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Deirdre. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Notable people named Deirdre

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Dede Alpert (born 1945), American politician
  • Deirdre Bair (1935–2020), American literary scholar and biographer
  • Deirdre Barrett , American author and psychologist
  • Dede Barry (born 1972), American cycle racer
  • Deirdre Sullivan Beeman , American artist
  • Deirdre Beddoe (born 1942), British historian
  • Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, birth name of Pema Chödrön (born 1936), American Tibetan Buddhist nun
  • Deirdre Bolger (born 1938), Irish former politician

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Deirdre

Phonetically similar names — useful when Deirdre is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Deirdre

What does the name Deirdre mean?
Deirdre is a feminine given name of Celtic origin and of unknown meaning. Deirdre is the name of a tragic heroine of Irish mythology. More attention was drawn to the name during the early 20th century in Ireland and throughout the Anglosphere after W. B. Yeats published his poem Deirdre in 1907 and playwright J.M. Synge published his play Deirdre of the Sorrows in 1910.
What is the origin of the name Deirdre?
Deirdre has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Irish, Irish Mythology.
How popular is Deirdre in 2026?
In 2026, Deirdre ranks #8,386 among girls' names in the U.S., with 11 babies given the name that year.
When was Deirdre most popular?
Deirdre reached its peak popularity in 1961, ranking #333 that year with 799 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Deirdre most popular?
Deirdre has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, District of Columbia, Massachusetts. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Deirdre.
Is Deirdre a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Deirdre is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Deirdre?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Deirdre include Lenna, Lucie, Eddie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Deirdre?
Common variants and related forms of Deirdre include Deidra, Deidre, Deitra, Derdriu. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Lenna
Peak #333
👧
Lucie
Peak #333
👧
Eddie
Peak #333
👧
Tommie
Peak #333
👧
Janiyah
Peak #333
👧
Ariyah
Peak #333
👧
Alva
Peak #334
👧
Margarita
Peak #334

About the name Deirdre

Deirdre is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1921 and has accumulated 17K births in the dataset. Deirdre's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #333. Use the chart and map above to compare Deirdre's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.