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.
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 →
The Story of Deirdre
Deirdre first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1921, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 799 Deirdres were born — ranking #333 that year. As of 2026, Deirdre ranks #8,386 for baby girls with 11 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 17K Deirdres have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
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?
How popular is Deirdre in 2026?
When was Deirdre most popular?
In which U.S. states is Deirdre most popular?
Is Deirdre a unisex name?
What names go well with Deirdre?
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
- Top names of 1961 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.