| Rhiannon | Eira | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | great queen | Snow |
| Origin | welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ree-AN-un | AY-rah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1974 | 1979 |
| Peak year | 1999 (651) | 2025 (116) |
| In 2025 | 210 | 116 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rhiannon | Eira |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,245 | 474 |
| 2010s | 1,444 | 321 |
| 2000s | 4,075 | 51 |
| 1990s | 3,833 | 11 |
| 1980s | 3,276 | 16 |
| 1970s | 1,666 | 5 |
Thought to derive from the reconstructed Celtic 'Rigantona', meaning 'great queen' (from the root 'rigani', queen). A figure of sovereignty in the Welsh Mabinogi. The reconstruction is scholarly, so the 'great queen' sense is widely accepted but not attested directly.
Eira is the Welsh word for “snow.”
Rhiannon is more popular than Eira today: about 210 US babies were given the name Rhiannon in 2025, compared with 116 named Eira.
Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin), while Eira means Snow (Welsh origin).
In US records, Rhiannon first appears in 1974 and Eira in 1979, so Rhiannon has the longer recorded history.