Girl · #5,453 in 2026

Mairead

Mairead, also spelt Maighread, is a feminine given name, the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of Margaret. The Irish form is spelt Mairéad, Máiréad, Maighréad, or Máighréad. Maisie is the pet form of Mairead.

Current Rank
#5,453
Peak Rank
#2,450 (2002)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
-11%
1967
First Year
2026
Last Year
2002
Peak Year
#2450
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
53
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mairead

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

Mairead, also spelt Maighread, is a feminine given name, the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of Margaret. The Irish form is spelt Mairéad, Máiréad, Maighréad, or Máighréad. Maisie is the pet form of Mairead.

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

The Story of Mairead

Mairead first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1967, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2002, when 59 Maireads were born — ranking #2,605 that year. As of 2026, Mairead ranks #5,453 for baby girls with 23 births, gradually falling (-11%). In total, more than 1K Maireads have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through 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

Names that sound like Mairead

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mairead 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 Mairead

What does the name Mairead mean?
Mairead, also spelt Maighread, is a feminine given name, the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of Margaret. The Irish form is spelt Mairéad, Máiréad, Maighréad, or Máighréad. Maisie is the pet form of Mairead.
How popular is Mairead in 2026?
In 2026, Mairead ranks #5,453 among girls' names in the U.S., with 23 babies given the name that year.
When was Mairead most popular?
Mairead reached its peak popularity in 2002, ranking #2,450 that year with 59 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Mairead most popular?
Mairead has historically been most popular in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mairead.
Is Mairead a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Mairead is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Mairead?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mairead include Karna, Devonne, Tangelia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Mairead

Mairead is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1967 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Mairead's peak popularity came in 2002 when it ranked #2,450. Use the chart and map above to compare Mairead'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.