Girl's name
Máire
“MOY-ra”
IPA: /ˈmˠɑːɾʲə/
the Irish form of Mary
The story behind the name
For centuries the single commonest name for an Irish woman — so revered that many families used Máire only in religious contexts and called daughters Maureen (Máirín) or Moira instead. Máire Mhac an tSaoi was one of the great Irish-language poets of the 20th century.
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z