Halimah vs Mairead
Halimah and Maireadcompared 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 2025, Halimah was ranked #1197 and Mairead #3705 among girls in England and Wales.
Halimah and Mairead over time
Halimah and Mairead appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Halimah held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mairead in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
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.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Halimah #645 in 2000, Mairead #645 in 2000.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2025
Halimah held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Mairead in 3.
Highest recorded here: Halimah #645 in 2000, Mairead #645 in 2000.
The order changed in 2001: Halimah moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #645 and #645; by 2001 that had become #696 and #1025.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Halimah #1197, Mairead #3705.
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 | Halimah | Mairead |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The Irish/Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret, ultimately from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl'. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish/Scottish Gaelic, via Margaret |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmarʲəd/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #1197 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3705 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mairead has a recorded origin (Irish/Scottish Gaelic, via Margaret); Halimah does not have one recorded yet.
- Halimah has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Mairead.
- A meaning is recorded for Mairead; Halimah doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Halimah
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1755 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #645 among girls in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1197 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Mairead
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #114 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 recorded1964–2017
Highest recorded position: #46 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1982 (recorded 1964–2017).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3705 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls