Meira
Feminine · “one who shines”
Meira is one who shines in Hebrew — from or, light — the feminine of Meir, and the same idea as Ori and Liora.
How old is the name Meira?
Meira first appears in US birth records in 1973 — 52 years ago. The typical Meira is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,600 people named Meira are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Meira most popular?
Meira peaked in 2025, reaching #2036 nationally. Today it ranks #2036, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Where it comes from
From '-w-r to Meira
The story of Meira
Rabbi Meir was among the most cited figures of the Mishnah, and Meir has been a standard Jewish name since. Golda Meir took the surname from her husband's Hebraised name. Meira is the feminine and is standard in Israel. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
one who shines, gives light
From the Hebrew me'ir, the causative participle of the root '-w-r, 'to give light' — so 'one who illuminates'. Meira is the feminine. The same root gives or, 'light', and the names Ori, Orit and Liora. The Hebrew is ordinary and the meaning undisputed.
How the name formed
- '-w-r
- Meir
- Meira
Related forms: מאירה · Meirah · Meire
Pronouncing Meira
may-EE-rah
Three syllables, stress in the middle. Many American speakers say MY-rah with two.
Nicknames for Meira
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1973
- Most girls named
- 202593 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2036reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +43.1%93 in 2025, from 65
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Meira in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- מאירה in Hebrew — transliteration
- Meirah in English — spelling variant
- Meire in Yiddish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey, California.
Meiras among us
people named Meira are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 17,282 born in 2025 was named Meira
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Milinda test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Meira's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Milinda climbed just as high around 1961, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Milinda's path sketches the road Meira is walking now.
Meira sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Meira is headed
Meira should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Meira beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Meira in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The one-who-gives-light meaning is transparent and unusually active.
- It belongs to a real and large Hebrew family of light names.
- Mei and Mira are two short forms, both real names elsewhere.
- The pronunciation splits between two and three syllables.
- Mira, Maira and Myra are all close enough to confuse.
- It reads as specifically Hebrew.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Meira
Feminine · #2036 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Meiras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Meira are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Meira in 2025?
- Meira ranks #2036 among US girl names in 2025, with 93 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Meira?
- About 1 in every 17,282 US girls born in 2025 was named Meira — 93 in all.
- Will my child share the name Meira with classmates?
- Meira will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Meira
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Moira#2036 · Mayzie#2036 · Aysel#2036 · Jaycie#2036 · Swayze#2036 · Jude#2036 · Marion#2036 · Alyanna#2036
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Meira? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Meira and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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