| Deirdre | Keira | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sorrowful | dark, black-haired |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DEER-druh | KEER-ah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1921 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1961 (799) | 2006 (3,022) |
| In 2025 | 13 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Deirdre | Keira |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 85 | 3,391 |
| 2010s | 206 | 13,440 |
| 2000s | 544 | 14,520 |
| 1990s | 1,206 | 1,390 |
| 1980s | 2,049 | 637 |
| 1970s | 3,123 | 359 |
| 1960s | 6,321 | 99 |
| 1950s | 2,274 | 0 |
| 1940s | 822 | 0 |
| 1930s | 167 | 0 |
| 1920s | 48 | 0 |
Deirdre is usually read “sorrowful”; she is a tragic heroine of Irish legend.
Anglicized spelling of the Irish Ciara, derived from Old Irish 'ciar' meaning 'black, dark'. Same root as Ciaran/Kieran; refers to dark hair or complexion.
Deirdre is more popular than Keira today: about 13 US babies were given the name Deirdre in 2025, compared with 0 named Keira.
Deirdre means Sorrowful (Irish origin), while Keira means dark, black-haired (irish origin).
In US records, Deirdre first appears in 1921 and Keira in 0, so Keira has the longer recorded history.