Maire
An Irish feminine name derived from the Latin name Maria, meaning "wished-for child" or "star of the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 685 living Americans carry the first name Maire. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maire today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maire births was 1997 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maire. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
685
~ 1 in 500,371 Americans
Peak year
1997
26 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,720
Tracked since 1901
Popularity
Maire: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maire from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maire by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maire during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maires live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maire
The name Maire has its origins in the Irish language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient Celtic times. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "muir," which means "sea" or "ocean." This connection to the sea reflects the maritime heritage and coastal settlements of the Irish people throughout history.
In early Irish mythology and folklore, the name Maire was often associated with powerful female figures, particularly those linked to the sea or water deities. One notable example is the character of Muirenn, who appears in the ancient Irish saga "The Wooing of Emer" as a beautiful and enigmatic figure with mystical powers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Maire can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where it was used by several notable Irish noblewomen and religious figures. One such figure was Maire Ni Dhubhthaigh, a 14th-century Irish noblewoman and patron of the arts, renowned for her patronage of poets and scholars.
Throughout history, the name Maire has been borne by several influential women across various fields. One of the most notable was Maire Nic Shiubhlaigh (1883-1958), an Irish politician and activist who played a significant role in the Irish nationalist movement and the struggle for Irish independence from British rule.
Another prominent figure was Maire O'Neill (1904-1998), an Irish actress and playwright who enjoyed a successful career on stage and screen, and was best known for her portrayal of Irish characters and her contributions to Irish theater.
In the realm of literature, Maire Mhac an tSaoi (1922-2021) was a celebrated Irish poet and scholar who wrote extensively in both Irish and English, and was widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in modern Irish poetry.
The name Maire has also been borne by notable figures in the fields of science, education, and public service, such as Maire Mullarney (1939-2018), an Irish environmentalist and conservationist who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Ireland's first national park, and Maire Geoghegan-Quinn (born 1950), an Irish politician and former European Commissioner.
While the name Maire has maintained a strong presence in Irish culture and society throughout the centuries, it has also gained recognition and popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong Irish diasporas or cultural ties to Ireland.
People
Maire + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maire as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maire: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maire?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 685 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maire going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 500,371 US residents.
Is Maire a common name?
We classify Maire as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 914 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maire most popular?
The single biggest year for Maire was 1997, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maire is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maire a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maire in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.