# Sinead (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/sinead/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Irish |
| Meaning | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /ʃɪˈneɪd/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Shinead, Sinéad |
| US babies named this | 1,340 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 1,340 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,964, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Anglicization of Irish Sinéad, from Old Northern French Jeanette, from Middle French Jehanne + -ette, from Medieval Latin Johanna, variant of Latin Ioanna under influence from Latin Iōhannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. Doublet of Janet, Jeanette, Jeannette, Juanita, and Shanae.

## What it means

Sinead is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 7,381 |
| 2012 | 11 | 10,342 |
| 2013 | 12 | 9,532 |
| 2014 | 13 | 8,902 |
| 2015 | 10 | 10,766 |
| 2016 | 7 | 14,151 |
| 2017 | 14 | 8,242 |
| 2018 | 10 | 10,462 |
| 2019 | 11 | 9,657 |
| 2020 | 7 | 13,294 |
| 2021 | 9 | 11,044 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10,296 |
| 2023 | 10 | 10,222 |
| 2024 | 13 | 8,368 |
| 2025 | 11 | 9,378 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 71 | 569 |
| 2012 | 81 | 522 |
| 2013 | 70 | 584 |
| 2014 | 55 | 715 |
| 2015 | 55 | 722 |
| 2016 | 27 | 1,241 |
| 2017 | 27 | 1,258 |
| 2018 | 25 | 1,314 |
| 2019 | 10 | 2,458 |
| 2020 | 19 | 1,556 |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,499 |
| 2022 | 6 | 3,533 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1,705 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3,695 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3,333 |

## People named Sinead

- Sinead Keenan, actress from Dublin, Ireland
- Sinead Matthews, British actress
- Sinéad Harnett, English singer and songwriter
- Sinead Diver, Australian long-distance runner

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.