Sinéad
Say it: shin-AID/ʃəˈnʲeːd̪ˠ/
GirlIrishMeans god is gracious6 letters2 syllables
#718
in Ireland (2025)
#692 with spellings combined
4
babies in 2025
#2
best rank (1975)
16,629
babies since 1964
Down 500
10-year rank change
Sinéad through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #692 |
| 2024 | 11 | #341 |
| 2023 | 17 | #238 |
| 2022 | 9 | #414 |
| 2021 | 17 | #259 |
| 2020 | 9 | #407 |
| 2019 | 18 | #261 |
| 2018 | 24 | #207 |
| 2017 | 29 | #178 |
| 2016 | 32 | #170 |
| 2015 | 29 | #192 |
| 2014 | 28 | #189 |
| 2013 | 47 | #131 |
| 2012 | 43 | #136 |
| 2011 | 73 | #94 |
| 2010 | 69 | #98 |
| 2009 | 86 | #82 |
| 2008 | 96 | #73 |
| 2007 | 105 | #65 |
| 2006 | 110 | #61 |
| 2005 | 137 | #47 |
| 2004 | 127 | #47 |
| 2003 | 153 | #38 |
| 2002 | 182 | #30 |
| 2001 | 162 | #33 |
| 2000 | 180 | #29 |
| 1999 | 196 | #26 |
| 1998 | 195 | #23 |
| 1997 | 282 | #20 |
| 1996 | 287 | #20 |
| 1995 | 253 | #20 |
| 1994 | 265 | #21 |
| 1993 | 300 | #17 |
| 1992 | 368 | #14 |
| 1991 | 411 | #11 |
| 1990 | 604 | #4 |
| 1989 | 450 | #9 |
| 1988 | 460 | #11 |
| 1987 | 429 | #12 |
| 1986 | 474 | #11 |
| 1985 | 381 | #15 |
| 1984 | 453 | #11 |
| 1983 | 541 | #8 |
| 1982 | 538 | #9 |
| 1981 | 610 | #6 |
| 1980 | 561 | #8 |
| 1979 | 594 | #5 |
| 1978 | 629 | #3 |
| 1977 | 694 | #2 |
| 1976 | 688 | #2 |
| 1975 | 825 | #2 |
| 1974 | 569 | #5 |
| 1973 | 659 | #4 |
| 1972 | 606 | #5 |
| 1971 | 598 | #5 |
| 1970 | 266 | #24 |
| 1969 | 192 | #41 |
| 1968 | 133 | #57 |
| 1967 | 121 | #60 |
| 1966 | 89 | #76 |
| 1965 | 58 | #108 |
| 1964 | 53 | #109 |
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 Sinéad mean?
God is gracious
Irish, from Anglo-Norman Jeanette, a pet form of Jehanne (Joan).
Say it right
shinAID
The "s" before "i" sounds like "sh". In Connacht and Ulster the stress often falls first, SHIN-aid.
Not:SIN-ee-adsin-EED
The story of Sinéad
Sinéad came into Irish from the Anglo-Norman Jeanette, a pet form of Jehanne. That goes back through the Latin Johanna to a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious”, the same root as John and Seán. It is the Irish match for Janet, and in English it has also been given as Jane, Jennifer or Jean. Siobhán comes from the same source.
The best-known bearer is the singer Sinéad O’Connor, whose version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” became a worldwide hit in 1990.
Sinéad was one of the biggest girls’ names in Ireland in the 1970s. It peaked in 1975, with 825 girls, when it was number 2, and it held number 2 in 1976 and 1977. It has become rare since, with only 4 girls in 2025. The CSO did not record fadas before 2018, so these figures count Sinéad and Sinead together.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Sinéad (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Sinéad
- Wikipedia: Sinéad O'Connor
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sinéad | 4 | 93 |
| Sinead | under 3 | 16,536 |
In Northern Ireland
Not in the 2025 list. Best rank #54 (1998); 404 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.