Girl's name
Niamh
Say it NEEV
Irish origin brightness, lustre, sheen
1 syllable
Where Niamh is loved, common and rare
Common across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Rare in England and Wales.
1 in 270 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Scotland 74thNorthern Ireland 77thIreland 90th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 4 of the 40 official lists, among them Scotland (74th), Northern Ireland (77th) and Ireland (90th).
Show all 4 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 74th 2025 | 56 | 1 in 320 |
| Northern Ireland | 77th 2025 | 27 | 1 in 270 |
| Ireland | 90th 2025 | 54 | 1 in 391 |
| England and Wales | 208th 2025 | 228 | 1 in 1,111 |
Rare, below the listed names: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: National Records of Scotland (Scotland); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales). How we count, and every source
About the name
Niamh comes from the Irish noun niamh, 'brightness, lustre, sheen', from Middle Irish níam and Old Irish ném.
Read the restShow less
Despite its spelling, it is a single syllable, NEEV. Neve, Nieve and Neave are phonetic spellings of the same name.
Niamh is used in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and it is not found in the lists of countries outside Britain and Ireland. The Ontario and British Columbia records first show it in 1991 and place its peak in 2011. Its data is limited, but where a trend is recorded it is now slightly downward. It remains a well-known Irish classic with a clear, bright meaning.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- NEEV, 1 syllable
- Meaning
brightness, lustre, sheen
- Origin
- Irish
- Other spellings
- Neve
- Nieve
- Neave
Etymology
From the noun niamh (“brightness, lustre, sheen”), from Middle Irish níam (“brilliance, beauty”), itself from Old Irish ném (“lustre”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: falling in 3 of 4 regions, rising in none.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 109 | 111 | 128 | 131 | 136 | 136 | 169 | 173 | 193 | 208 |
| Scotland | 50 | 60 | 51 | 53 | 57 | 60 | 76 | 59 | 76 | 74 |
| Northern Ireland | 25 | 18 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 43 | 47 | 77 |
| Ireland | 41 | 47 | 59 | 54 | 86 | 72 | 78 | 73 | 94 | 90 |
| Ontario | 1100 | |||||||||
| South Australia | 230 | 395 | ||||||||
| France | 3521 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 208 | 228 | 90.0 |
| 2024 | 193 | 251 | 97.3 |
| 2023 | 173 | 297 | 115.8 |
| 2022 | 169 | 300 | 113.8 |
| 2021 | 136 | 362 | 132.1 |
| 2020 | 136 | 366 | 136.4 |
| 2019 | 131 | 387 | 138.2 |
| 2018 | 128 | 406 | 140.8 |
| 2017 | 111 | 492 | 164.5 |
| 2016 | 109 | 525 | 170.9 |
| 2015 | 109 | 525 | 170.5 |
| 2014 | 103 | 554 | 180.7 |
| 2013 | 90 | 596 | 193.2 |
| 2012 | 84 | 672 | 208.7 |
| 2011 | 81 | 733 | 228.1 |
| 2010 | 78 | 777 | 242.0 |
| 2009 | 76 | 824 | 262.9 |
| 2008 | 70 | 958 | 303.4 |
| 2007 | 69 | 901 | 294.3 |
| 2006 | 63 | 932 | 311.5 |
| 2005 | 50 | 1,110 | 385.1 |
| 2004 | 48 | 1,178 | 412.1 |
| 2003 | 56 | 991 | 355.6 |
| 2002 | 54 | 956 | 357.6 |
| 2001 | 49 | 1,047 | 390.7 |
| 2000 | 40 | 1,204 | 440.7 |
| 1999 | 47 | 1,194 | 423.9 |
| 1998 | 66 | 837 | 289.4 |
| 1997 | 86 | 591 | 201.6 |
| 1996 | 120 | 381 | 128.7 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Niamh in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2006. First recorded in 1991. Her peak year there: 2011, at 24.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Niamh per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2011 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Niamh
1 in 134 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Orlaith and Orlagh.
1 in 114 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 86 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 160 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 639 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 1,118 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 942 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Hallie.
1 in 162 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
1 in 455 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Niamh.
Middle names for Niamh
1 in 71 in Scotland
Niamh Olivia
1-4 beats · initials NO
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Niamh Charlotte
1-2 beats · initials NC
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Niamh Emily
1-3 beats · initials NE
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Niamh Sophie
1-2 beats · initials NS
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Niamh Anna
1-2 beats · initials NA
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Niamh Emma
1-2 beats · initials NE
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Niamh Alice
1-2 beats · initials NA
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Niamh Amelia
1-4 beats · initials NA
Changes the beat after Niamh: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Niamh
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 134 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 1,933 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 162 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 86 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 577 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
1 in 163 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Niamh across countries and decades.
Famous people named Niamh
Niamh Kavanagh, Niamh Charles, Niamh Cusack, Niamh Fahey, Niamh Fisher-Black and Niamh Wilson.
Show all 6Show less
-
Irish singer born 1968
-
English footballer born 1999
-
Irish actress born 1959
-
Irish association football player born 1987
-
New Zealand cyclist born 2000
-
Canadian actress born 1997
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Niamh
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Niamh?
Her best rank is No. 74 in Scotland in 2025, about 1 in 320 girls. She is in the published lists of 4 of our 40 regions.
What does Niamh mean?
Wiktionary glosses Niamh as "brightness, lustre, sheen".
How do you pronounce Niamh?
NEEV, with 1 syllable.
Is Niamh getting more popular?
Over five years: falling in 3 of 4 regions, rising in none.
Which sister names go with Niamh?
The deck's top five sisters for Niamh: Orla, Saoirse, Aoife, Gracie and Lillie. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.