Eimear
Say it: EE-mer
GirlIrishMythology6 letters2 syllables
#207
in Ireland (2025)
#211 with spellings combined
21
babies in 2025
#26
best rank (1996)
5,918
babies since 1964
Down 117
10-year rank change
Eimear through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | #211 |
| 2024 | 14 | #298 |
| 2023 | 17 | #238 |
| 2022 | 21 | #214 |
| 2021 | 31 | #157 |
| 2020 | 31 | #157 |
| 2019 | 38 | #143 |
| 2018 | 43 | #134 |
| 2017 | 57 | #105 |
| 2016 | 50 | #121 |
| 2015 | 67 | #94 |
| 2014 | 53 | #112 |
| 2013 | 52 | #116 |
| 2012 | 81 | #80 |
| 2011 | 89 | #84 |
| 2010 | 91 | #77 |
| 2009 | 102 | #73 |
| 2008 | 125 | #58 |
| 2007 | 137 | #51 |
| 2006 | 138 | #48 |
| 2005 | 148 | #44 |
| 2004 | 135 | #43 |
| 2003 | 125 | #46 |
| 2002 | 133 | #43 |
| 2001 | 146 | #40 |
| 2000 | 168 | #33 |
| 1999 | 148 | #35 |
| 1998 | 140 | #29 |
| 1997 | 197 | #30 |
| 1996 | 222 | #26 |
| 1995 | 156 | #35 |
| 1994 | 147 | #38 |
| 1993 | 150 | #40 |
| 1992 | 176 | #32 |
| 1991 | 110 | #62 |
| 1990 | 123 | #51 |
| 1989 | 134 | #50 |
| 1988 | 148 | #48 |
| 1987 | 117 | #69 |
| 1986 | 165 | #48 |
| 1985 | 148 | #51 |
| 1984 | 112 | #73 |
| 1983 | 166 | #54 |
| 1982 | 184 | #49 |
| 1981 | 136 | #65 |
| 1980 | 181 | #53 |
| 1979 | 124 | #74 |
| 1978 | 83 | #98 |
| 1977 | 87 | #96 |
| 1976 | 85 | #98 |
| 1975 | 64 | #119 |
| 1974 | 59 | #129 |
| 1973 | 45 | #151 |
| 1972 | 32 | #173 |
| 1971 | 38 | #158 |
| 1970 | 28 | #172 |
| 1969 | 26 | #181 |
| 1968 | 9 | #258 |
| 1967 | 18 | #189 |
| 1966 | 26 | #162 |
| 1965 | 16 | #194 |
| 1964 | 5 | #300 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Eimear mean?
Uncertain
Irish, a modern spelling of Old Irish Emer, of unknown meaning.
Say it right
EEmer
Emer and Eimhear are other spellings of the same name.
Not:EYE-merAY-mer
The story of Eimear
Eimear is a modern spelling of Emer, a name from the old Irish sagas. It is also written Eimhear or Éimhear. Its meaning is not known.
In the Ulster Cycle, Emer is the daughter of Forgall Monach and the wife of the hero Cú Chulainn. She was said to have the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, a fine voice, sweet speech, wisdom, skill with the needle and chastity. When Cú Chulainn came to woo her, she refused him until he had proved himself. Her father, hoping to be rid of him, sent him to train with the warrior woman Scáthach in Scotland. He came back a great fighter, stormed Forgall’s fort and won her.
Eimear was given steadily throughout the CSO records and was most popular in the 1990s. It peaked in 1996, with 222 girls, at number 26. In 2025 it was more common in Northern Ireland, where it ranked number 92, than in the rest of Ireland. The CSO counts Emer and Eimhear separately.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Emer
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Eimear | 21 | 5,911 |
| Éimear | under 3 | 7 |
In Northern Ireland
#92 in 2025 with 23 babies. Best rank #31 (1997); 1,447 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.