Deirdre vs Meg
Deirdre and Megcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 1999, Deirdre was ranked #3900 and Meg #474 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Deirdre was ranked #871 and Meg #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Deirdre and Meg over time
Deirdre and Meg appear together in 1 published list, across 18 years of shared records. Deirdre held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Meg in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Deirdre reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Meg in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1993–2019
Deirdre held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Meg in 1.
Highest recorded here: Deirdre #51 in 1993, Meg #269 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Deirdre #871, Meg #871.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Deirdre | Meg |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #871 (2019) | England and Wales · Girls #3961 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Deirdre has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Meg.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Deirdre
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #14 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2019
Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1966 (recorded 1964–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2019.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Meg
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2019
Highest recorded position: #269 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1993–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #3961 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Girls