Mairead

Meaning of Mairead

In the soft hush of an Irish dawn, Mairead emerges as a linguistically radiant pearl, the Gaelic gem of Margaret whose very name glides off the tongue like a gentle “mare” (sea in Latin), evoking the Atlantic’s soothing rhythms. Pronounced mah-RAID (/mɑˈreɪd/), it dances with the lilt of an ancestral ballad and whispers of patron saints and storytelling hearths across Éire. While rare in today’s registries—just nineteen American newborns were named Mairead in 2024, placing it near 931 in popularity—this name sparkles with a vintage elegance that feels both timeless and refreshed (no cocktail umbrella required for its glow). Anchored in Latin margarita for “pearl” and steeped in Celtic heritage, Mairead weaves resilience and luminosity into a single syllable, as enduring as granite cliffs and as luminous as dawnlight dancing on the sea.