| Deirdre | Siobhan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sorrowful | God is gracious |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DEER-druh | shiv-AWN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1921 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1961 (799) | 1980 (282) |
| In 2025 | 13 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Deirdre | Siobhan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 85 | 543 |
| 2010s | 206 | 548 |
| 2000s | 544 | 758 |
| 1990s | 1,206 | 1,334 |
| 1980s | 2,049 | 2,086 |
| 1970s | 3,123 | 996 |
| 1960s | 6,321 | 869 |
| 1950s | 2,274 | 265 |
| 1940s | 822 | 0 |
| 1930s | 167 | 0 |
| 1920s | 48 | 0 |
Deirdre is usually read “sorrowful”; she is a tragic heroine of Irish legend.
The Irish form of Jeanne/Joan (Siobhán), a feminine of John, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' A John-root grace name.
Deirdre is more popular than Siobhan today: about 13 US babies were given the name Deirdre in 2025, compared with 0 named Siobhan.
Deirdre means Sorrowful (Irish origin), while Siobhan means God is gracious (irish origin).
In US records, Deirdre first appears in 1921 and Siobhan in 0, so Siobhan has the longer recorded history.