Given name · also Irish
Niamh
“brightness, beauty”·“a bright man”
Niamh is used as a given name. Interpretations include “brightness, beauty” and “a bright man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “brightness, beauty” and “a bright man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
From Middle Irish níam (“brilliance, beauty”), from Old Irish ném (“lustre”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In mythological stories, Niamh is associated with the daughter of the sea god.
Niamh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,617
- 0 boys · 1,617 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 74 babies
- 2025
- 43
- #3,561 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 43 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,561 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was virtually unchanged in 2021–2025 compared with 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 74 in 2008. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,666 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Niamh’s family of names
The ring: across languages.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Niamh
- Niamh KavanaghIrish singerborn 1968
- Niamh CharlesEnglish footballerborn 1999
- Niamh CusackIrish actressborn 1959
- Niamh FaheyIrish association football playerborn 1987
- Niamh Fisher-BlackNew Zealand cyclistborn 2000
- Niamh WilsonCanadian actressborn 1997
- Niamh AlgarIrish actressborn 1992
- Niamh EmersonBritish heptathleteborn 1999
- Niamh McGradyIrish actressborn 2000
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Niamh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Teagan
“one who is attractive; goodlooking” · “a handsome man”
9% boys · 91% girls
Ianna
>99% girls
Mccartney
“son of Artan”
23% boys · 77% girls
Mackenna
“daughter of the handsome man”
>99% girls
Mackenzie
Mackenzie is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “daughter of a wise leader; a fiery woman; one who is fair” and “the son of a wise leader; a fiery man; one who is fair”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
3% boys · 97% girls
Ishbel
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Shaylee
“from the fairy palace; a fairy princess”
>99% girls
Keira
“little dark-haired one” · “having dark features; the little dark one”
>99% girls