Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2008

Niamh

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,561 Trend ↑ Rising 13%
Rank 2025
#3,561
among girls · ↓401 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
43
named Niamh · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 37,378
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2008
74 babies
All-time total
1,617
#5,428 all-time among girls
First recorded
1969
in Social Security records

Niamh popularity over time

1,617 babies have been named Niamh since 1969, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2008Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 5 1 – #8,292
1970s – – – –
1980s 30 3 – #6,050
1990s 267 27 +790% #2,808
2000s 636 64 +138% #2,320
2010s 447 45 -30% #2,894
2020s (to 2025) 232 39 -13% #3,160

Where Niamh is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 44 0.03 outside top 500
2027 45 0.03 outside top 500
2028 45 0.03 outside top 500
2029 46 0.03 outside top 500
2030 46 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Niamh

Niamh is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,561 in 2025 with 43 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1969, 1,617 American babies have been named Niamh. Its peak came in 2008, when 74 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Niamh stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Niamh?

The median living Niamh is about 17 years old; half are between 10 and 24. An estimated 1,600 people named Niamh are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Niamh year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 43 #3,561
2024 51 #3,160
2023 33 #4,342
2022 37 #4,019
2021 35 #4,150
2020 33 #4,241
2019 44 #3,537
2018 40 #3,777
2017 37 #4,051
2016 45 #3,506
2015 35 #4,206
2014 53 #3,131
2013 44 #3,558
2012 46 #3,511
2011 60 #2,894
2010 43 #3,680
2009 56 #3,080
2008 74 #2,552
2007 58 #3,042
2006 69 #2,623
2005 57 #2,894
2004 69 #2,471
2003 67 #2,459
2002 57 #2,699
2001 69 #2,320
2000 60 #2,531
1995 37 #3,142
1990 9 #9,005
1985 – –
1980 8 #7,897
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Niamh

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Niamh Kavanagh Niamh Kavanagh Irish singer (born 1968) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Niamh, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Niamh?

The median living Niamh is about 17 years old. Half of all living Niamhs are between 10 and 24 years old.

How many people named Niamh are alive today?

An estimated 1,600 people named Niamh are alive in the United States, based on 1,617 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Niamh in 2025?

Niamh ranked #3,561 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 43 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Niamh?

1,617 babies have been named Niamh in the United States since 1969, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Niamh most popular?

Niamh peaked in 2008, when 74 newborns received the name.

Is Niamh a boy or girl name?

Niamh is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Niamh rising or falling?

Niamh has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Niamh become more popular?

Niamh is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 46 girls named Niamh in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Niamh?

Well-known people named Niamh include Niamh Kavanagh (singer).

Names like Niamh

Names that sound and feel close to Niamh: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Niamh with similar names → More names starting with N →