Gender:
Origin:
Albanian,
Europe
19 famous people named Maire found on Wikipedia.
882 female in US.
Most recent ranking:
10212-th in year 2018
Best ranking:
1842-th in year 1901
Used in: Finnish
Máire is the Irish language form of the Latin Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam English language name Mary. It was and still is a popular name in Ireland, and is sometimes spelt in its Anglicised form Maura. Historically, Maol Muire (devotee of Mary) was the reverential form used by the Irish, just as Giolla Phádraig (servant of Pádraig) was the reverential usage for what subsequently became Pádraig. Following the Norman Invasion of Ireland, Máire gradually replaced Maol Muire as a given name, as Pádraig gradually replaced Giolla Phádraig. Its overwhelming popularity was due to the Irish devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but in recent times Irish religious devotion has waned and far fewer girls are being named Máire or Mary.
Completely unrelated to this, Maire is also a female first name in Finland and Estonia.
| Popularity | Name | Birth Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Máire Mhac an tSaoi | 1922 | Irish writer, poet, linguist and academic |
| 2 | Máire Whelan | 1965 | Attorney General of Ireland |
| 3 | Máire Drumm | 1919 | Northern Irish politician |
| 4 | Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | 1950 | Irish politician |
| 5 | Máire Breatnach | Irish fiddler | |
| 6 | Máire Ní Chathasaigh | 1956 | Irish musician |
| 7 | Máire Ní Chinnéide | 1879 | Gaelic games administrator |
| 8 | Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh | 1883 | Actress |
| 9 | Máire Nic an Bhaird | 1982 | Irish activist |
| 10 | Molly Gill | 1891 | Camogie player and administrator |
| 11 | Máire Devine | ||
| 12 | Máire Bhuí Ní Laoghaire | 1774 | Irish poet |
| 13 | Máire Hoctor | 1963 | Irish politician |
| 14 | Máire MacNeill | 1904 | Irish folkloristwriter |
| 15 | Máire Hickey | 1938 | |
| 16 | Máire Mullarney | 1921 | Irish activist |
| 17 | Máire Uí Dhroighneáin | Irish actress | |
| 18 | Máire Ní Ghuairim | 1896 | Irish teacher, writer and singer |
| 19 | Máire Ó Ciaragain | Irish warlord |