() is a feminine given name. It is the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

form of Maria, which was in turn a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

form of the Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam), and Μαρια (Maria), found in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name (Miryam). Its meaning has been variously translated with around 70 possibilities, including "sea of ", "star of the sea", "drop of the sea", "rebelliousness", "exalted one", "beloved", and "wished for child". Patrick Woulfe (1923) thought that the meaning related to bitterness, related to grief, sorrow, affliction, possibly associated with childbirth, was most likely. Máire was and still is a popular name in Ireland, and is sometimes spelt in its

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

forms Maire, (without

diacritics A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...

) '' Maura'' and '' Moira''. The diminutive form Máirín has inspired the Anglicised Maureen. Completely unrelated to this, Maire (pron. MIE-reh) is a feminine given name in Finland, said to derive from the Finnish word ''mairea'', meaning "gushing" or "sugary".

Religious exception

In Ireland, the variant spelling ''

Muire Muire (; ) is an Irish name given exclusively to the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated und ...

'' is used exclusively for the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

mother of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. The name Máel Muire, used by both men and women, denotes "Servant of Mary".

People with the given name

* Maire Aunaste (born 1953), an Estonian journalist * Máire Breathnach, an Irish actress * Máire Breatnach, an Irish fiddle player * Máire Comerford (1892–1982), an Irish republican * Máire Drumm (1919–1976), the vice president of Sinn Féin and a commander in Cumann na mBan *

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (; ; born 5 September 1950) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science from 2010 to 2014, ...

(born 1950), an Irish politician *

Máire Gill Máire ‘Mollie’ Gill (Máire Ní Ghiolla) (1891–1977) was a political activist who became third and longest-serving president of the Camogie Association and captained a Dublin GAA#Camogie, Dublin team to an All-Ireland Senior Camogie Champ ...

(1891–1977), a political activist * Maire Gullichsen (1907–1990), Finnish art collector and patronage * Máire Hendron, Northern Irish politician * Máire Herbert, Irish historian *

Máire Hoctor Máire Hoctor (born 20 January 1963) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary North (Dáil constituency), Tipperary North constituency from 2002 to 2011. She was educated at St. Mary's secondary ...

(born 1963), a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician * Máire Lynch (fl. 1547), a member of the Tribes of Galway *

Máire MacNeill Máire MacNeill (7 December 1904 – 15 May 1987) was an Ireland, Irish journalist, folklorist and translator. She is best known for her magisterial study of the Irish harvest festival, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'' (1962, 1983). Biography ...

(1904–1987), an Irish journalist, folklorist and translator * Máire McDonnell-Garvey (1927–2009), traditional Irish musician and writer *

Máire Mhac an tSaoi Máire Mhac an tSaoi (4 April 1922 – 16 October 2021) was an Irish civil service diplomat, writer of Modernist poetry in the Corca Dhuibhne dialect of Munster Irish, a memoirist, and a highly important figure within modern literature in I ...

(born 1922–2021), an Irish language scholar, poet, writer and academic * Máire Mulcahy (1937 - 2023), Irish zoologist and ecologist * Máire Mullarney (1921–2008), an Irish environmentalist, educationalist and Esperanto advocate * Máire Nic an Bhaird (born 1982), a secondary school teacher and Irish language activist * Máire Ní Bhraonáin or Moya Brennan, an Irish singer * Máire Ní Chathasaigh (born 1956), an Irish harpist and singer * Máire Ní Chinnéide (1879–1967), an Irish language activist, playwright and first President of the Camogie Association * Máire Ní Ghuairim (1896–1964), an Irish teacher, author and Sean-nós singer * Máire O'Neill (1885–1952), an Irish actress of stage and film * Máire O'Neill (academic) (born 1978), an Irish data encryption academic * Máire Uí Dhroigneáin, an Irish actress * Máire Whelan, an Irish barrister and senior counsel

Other uses

*''Máire'' was the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of the Irish author

Séamus Ó Grianna Séamus Ó Grianna (; 17 November 1889 – 27 November 1969; locally known also as Jimí Fheilimí) was an Irish people, Irish writer, who used the pen name Máire. Biography Born to Feidhlimidh Mac Grianna and Máire Eibhlín Néillín N� ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maire Given names Feminine given names Irish-language feminine given names

Religious exception

People with the given name

Other uses

See also

References