Sinead
Of Irish origin, meaning "she who is endowed with great wisdom".
Name Census estimates that about 1,286 living Americans carry the first name Sinead. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sinead today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sinead births was 1990 (160 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sinead. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 266,527 Americans
Peak year
1990
160 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,331
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Sinead: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sinead from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 627 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
Sinead 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 Sinead during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sineads live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. New York, California, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Sinead, while Ohio, Michigan, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 51 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sinead
The name Sinead is of Irish Gaelic origin, derived from the old Irish word "Sine" meaning "God is gracious" or "God's grace". This name dates back to ancient Celtic times and has been in use for centuries across Ireland and other regions where Gaelic culture and language were prevalent.
Sinead is a traditional Irish feminine name that gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly among the Celtic Christian communities in Ireland. It was a common name among Irish nobility and religious figures during this period, with many accounts of nuns, abbesses, and other pious women bearing this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sinead can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a historical chronicle that documents events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. The name appears in various entries, often referring to influential women of the time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sinead. One of the most well-known is Saint Sinead (also known as St. Cynthia or St. Quiteria), a 5th-century Iberian martyr who was venerated in both Christian and Muslim traditions. Another famous Sinead was Sinead Ni Dhomnaill (c. 1700-1795), a renowned Irish poet and composer from County Donegal.
In more recent times, the name gained wider recognition due to the success of Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor, who was born in 1966. Her powerful voice and distinctive shaved head hairstyle made her an iconic figure in the music industry during the late 20th century.
Other notable individuals named Sinead include Sinead Cusack (born 1948), an Irish actress known for her work in films and television, and Sinead McKeever (born 1986), a prominent Irish singer and television personality.
While the name Sinead has its roots in ancient Gaelic culture, it continues to be a popular choice for parents in Ireland and among Irish communities around the world, carrying a rich heritage and a connection to the island's storied past.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Sinead
People
Sinead + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sinead as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sinead: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sinead?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,286 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sinead 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 266,527 US residents.
Is Sinead a common name?
We classify Sinead as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,329 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sinead most popular?
The single biggest year for Sinead was 1990, when 160 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sinead is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sinead a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sinead 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.