Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Mairéad

Meaning — The Irish form of Margaret, from the Greek "Margarites" meaning "pearl". Mairéad is the native Irish-language version of the name, distinct from the borrowed anglicised "Margaret" and carrying a distinctly Irish-Gaelic identity. The name has been borne by Mairéad Corrigan Maguire, the Northern Irish peace activist who co-founded the Community of Peace People and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.·Irish origin·Female·mah-RAID

Mairéad Mairéad carries the weight of its most celebrated modern bearer — the peace activist who emerged from the trauma of the Troubles to build something constructive from grief. Characters named Mairéad tend to be grounded and principled, with a moral courage that manifests not as grand gestures but as steady, persistent effort in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. The name suits women who act from conviction and who measure their success in changed lives rather than public recognition.

Best genres for Mairéad

Historical FictionContemporary FictionLiterary FictionHistorical RomancePolitical Fiction

Famous characters named Mairéad

No verified literary characters with this exact given name were found yet. We are continuously expanding this section.


Variations & nicknames

MairéadMaireadMargaretMaireidMáiréad

Pairs well with

Mairéad Ní CheallaighMairéad O'BrienMairéad MurphyMairéad DohertyMairéad McLaughlinMairéad Corrigan

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Related names

Niamh

Old Irish · “Derived from the Old Irish word "niamh" meaning "bright" or "radiant". The name belongs to one of the most celebrated figures of Irish mythology, Niamh of the Golden Hair, a princess of Tír na nÓg (the Land of Eternal Youth) who fell in love with the poet-warrior Oisín and carried him away on her white horse across the sea.

Sorcha

Old Irish · “Derived from the Old Irish word "sorcha" meaning "brightness", "radiance", or "light". It shares the same root as the modern Irish adjective "sorch" meaning "clear" or "bright". Sorcha has been used as an Irish equivalent of Sarah or Clara in anglicised contexts, though it is entirely distinct in origin. The name has been popular in Ireland and Scotland for centuries.

Brigid

Old Irish · “Derived from the Old Irish "Brigit" or "Bríg", meaning "exalted one" or "the high one", from a Proto-Celtic root "briganti" meaning "high, lofty, the exalted one". Brigid was one of the most important goddesses of pre-Christian Ireland, associated with poetry, healing, smithcraft, and the hearth fire. The Christianised Saint Brigid of Kildare (c. 451–525) became one of Ireland's three patron saints.

Clodagh

Irish · “Derived from the River Clóirtheach (anglicised as Clody) in County Wexford and County Carlow, Ireland. River names in Irish tradition often carry associations with flowing abundance, boundary-crossing, and the sacred nature of water. The name was popularised by the Marquess of Waterford, who named his daughter Clodagh in 1879, after which it entered the wider Irish naming tradition.


More Irish names

Kevin

Anglicised from the Irish Caoimhín, composed of the Old Irish elements caomh ("dear, gentle, kind") and -gein ("birth"), meaning roughly "kind birth" or "beloved child." The name was popularised by Saint Kevin of Glendalough, a 6th-century Irish monk known for his asceticism and love of nature. Kevin became widely used in English-speaking countries in the 20th century.

Torin

Derived from the Irish/Scottish Gaelic "tòrr" meaning "a hill" or "a high craggy place", with a suffix giving the meaning "from the hill" or "hill chief". The name has a rugged, topographic quality common in Gaelic naming traditions, where the landscape itself shapes identity. It is used in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic contexts as a strongly masculine name associated with highland geography.

Siobhan

The Irish form of Joan or Jane, introduced into Ireland via the Norman French name Jehanne during the medieval period. The name ultimately derives from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious". Siobhán has been a staple of Irish feminine naming for centuries and became internationally recognisable through Irish actresses and cultural figures.

Neil

Anglicised from the Irish Niall, a name of disputed meaning — proposed interpretations include "cloud," "passionate," "champion," and "vehement." The name was borne by several early Irish kings and saints, including Niall of the Nine Hostages, the legendary ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasty. Neil is the standard anglicised spelling used outside Ireland.

Éamon

The Irish form of Edmund, from the Old English "Ēadmund" meaning "wealthy protector" or "guardian of riches", from "ēad" (wealth, fortune) and "mund" (protector, guardian). The name entered Ireland through the Norman conquest and became fully naturalised in Irish Gaelic form. It is most famously borne by Éamon de Valera (1882–1975), the dominant figure of twentieth-century Irish politics, who served as both Taoiseach and President of Ireland.

Brennan

An Anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Braonáin, meaning "descendant of Braonán", where Braonán is a diminutive of "braon" meaning "moisture", "drop", or "sorrow". The name is associated with Saint Brendan the Navigator (Naomh Bréanainn), the 6th-century Irish monk who, according to legend, sailed across the Atlantic to discover a western paradise. When used as a first name, it carries both the sorrow-drop etymology and the adventuring saint.


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