UK girl's name
Muireann
A feminine Irish name meaning "great queen" or "beloved lady".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Muireann is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Muireann popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4763, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 4 births.
This profile covers 19 England and Wales registrations across 6 recorded years from 2000 to 2017. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Muireann is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 137 living people in the UK are called Muireann. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2018 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Muireann ranked #4763 for girls in England and Wales in 2017, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 4 girls were registered as Muireann.
- • Muireann ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #253 in 2024.
- • About 137 living people in the UK are estimated to have Muireann as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4763
2017
Births in 2017
4
Latest year
Peak year
2017
4 births
Estimated living
137
2026
Meaning
What does Muireann mean?
Muireann is an Irish feminine given name derived from the Old Irish Muire, which is the Irish version of the name Mary. The name Muire itself comes from the Hebrew name Miriam, which means "bitter" or "beloved." The variant spelling Muireann is believed to have originated in the 5th or 6th century CE, during the Early Christian period in Ireland.
The name Muireann is deeply rooted in Irish culture and has been used for centuries. It is often associated with the Virgin Mary, who holds a significant place in Irish Catholicism. The name may have been popularized by early Irish saints or religious figures who venerated the Virgin Mary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Muireann is found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a Muireann ingen Írgallaig, who died in 629 CE. This suggests that the name was in use among the Irish as early as the 7th century.
Throughout history, several notable Irish women have borne the name Muireann. One example is Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin (c. 1635-1711), an Irish noblewoman and landowner who played a role in the Williamite War in Ireland in the late 17th century.
Another famous Muireann was Muireann Ní Mhóráin (1700-1776), a renowned Irish poet and composer from County Mayo. Her compositions, known as aisling poems, were celebrated for their beauty and lyricism.
In the 20th century, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (1915-1987) was a prominent Irish language activist and educator from County Donegal. She played a significant role in promoting the use of the Irish language and its cultural heritage.
Muireann Maguire (1925-2018) was an Irish politician and activist who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Ulster Unionist Party from 1979 to 1989. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and social justice issues.
Muireann O'Connell (born 1980) is a contemporary Irish television presenter and radio personality. She has hosted various shows on Irish television and radio, including "The Six O'Clock Show" and "Today FM."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Muireann over time
The chart below shows babies named Muireann registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2017. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Muireann, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2017, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Muireann by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Muireann was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5569 | 16 | 5 |
| 2000s | #3912 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Muireann is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Muireann. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Muireann ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #253 in 2024.
Across the UK
Muireann in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#749 in 2023
4 years of NRS records, 12 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#253 in 2024
17 years of NISRA records, 107 total registered
Related
Names similar to Muireann
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Muireann: questions and answers
How popular is the name Muireann in the UK right now?
In 2017, Muireann was ranked #4763 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Muireann most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 4 babies registered as Muireann in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Muireann?
A feminine Irish name meaning "great queen" or "beloved lady".
How many people are called Muireann in the UK?
A total of 19 babies have been registered as Muireann across the 6 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12 more in Scotland and 107 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Muireann most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Muireann ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #253 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.