Girl's name
Meabh
Say it MAYV
Irish origin intoxicating
1 syllable
Where Meabh is loved, common and rare
Loved in Northern Ireland. Common in Ireland. Rare in Scotland and England and Wales.
1 in 90 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Northern Ireland 9thIreland 38thScotland 474th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 4 of the 40 official lists, among them Northern Ireland (9th), Ireland (38th) and Scotland (474th).
Show all 4 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 9th 2025 | 81 | 1 in 90 |
| Ireland as Méabh | 38th 2025 | 125 | 1 in 169 |
| Scotland | 474th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 2,982 |
| England and Wales | 1229th 2025 | 26 | 1 in 9,742 |
Rare, below the listed names: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales). How we count, and every source
About the name
Meabh is an Irish spelling of Maeve, and it goes back to the Middle Irish Medb, from a Proto-Celtic root. Its meaning is 'intoxicating', matching the Middle Irish word medb. Medb is the legendary queen of Connacht in early Irish tales, which gives the name a strong heroic connection.
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It has one syllable, said MAYV, despite the longer spelling. Méabh with the accent is the fully Irish form, Maeve is the anglicised version, and Méibhín is a diminutive.
Northern Ireland is where it is most popular, as a top-10 name there, and it is also well inside the top 40 in Ireland, with a small following in Scotland. It is rising in every region where it ranks, so it is very much a modern Irish favourite.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MAYV, 1 syllable
- Meaning
intoxicating
- Origin
- Irish
- Other spellings
- Maeve
- Méibhín
Counted together here: Méabh.
Etymology
From Middle Irish Medb, from Proto-Celtic *medwā, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu. Compare Middle Irish medb (“intoxicating”), from Proto-Celtic *medwos.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 4 of 4 regions, falling in none.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 2233 | 4063 | 1711 | 2040 | 3447 | 1286 | 1142 | 1288 | 952 | 1229 |
| Scotland | 570 | 809 | 652 | 625 | 342 | 351 | 474 | |||
| Northern Ireland | 82 | 44 | 45 | 45 | 37 | 28 | 32 | 28 | 17 | 9 |
| Ireland | 82 | 76 | 103 | 87 | 77 | 57 | 65 | 44 | 50 | 38 |
England and Wales, 1999 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1229 | 26 | 10.3 |
| 2024 | 952 | 37 | 14.3 |
| 2023 | 1288 | 25 | 9.7 |
| 2022 | 1142 | 29 | 11.0 |
| 2021 | 1286 | 25 | 9.1 |
| 2020 | 3447 | 6 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | 2040 | 13 | 4.6 |
| 2018 | 1711 | 17 | 5.9 |
| 2017 | 4063 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | 2233 | 12 | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 4103 | 5 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 2314 | 11 | 3.6 |
| 2013 | 2887 | 8 | 2.6 |
| 2012 | 5876 | 3 | 0.9 |
| 2011 | 4049 | 5 | 1.6 |
| 2007 | 5201 | 3 | 1.0 |
| 2006 | 2781 | 7 | 2.3 |
| 2003 | 4373 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 2002 | 2868 | 5 | 1.9 |
| 1999 | 3225 | 4 | 1.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Sister names for Meabh
1 in 163 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 114 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 145 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Roise.
1 in 86 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 69 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 399 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 704 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Aoibhe, Aoibhín, Aoibheann and Aoibh.
1 in 60 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
1 in 813 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Meabh.
Middle names for Meabh
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Meabh Charlotte
1-2 beats · initials MC
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Meabh Sophie
1-2 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Meabh Olivia
1-4 beats · initials MO · Meabh slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables. Meabh slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Meabh Ruby
1-2 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Meabh Maria
1-3 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Meabh Emily
1-3 beats · initials ME · Meabh slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables. Meabh slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Meabh Julia
1-3 beats · initials MJ
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Meabh Mia
1-2 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Meabh: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
Same style as Meabh
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 155 in Northern Ireland
99% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 317 in Northern Ireland
98% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 69 in Ireland
98% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 399 in Ireland
97% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 222 in Ireland
97% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
1 in 1,625 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Meabh across countries and decades.
Questions about Meabh
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Meabh?
Her best rank is No. 9 in Northern Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 90 girls. She is in the published lists of 4 of our 40 regions.
What does Meabh mean?
Wiktionary glosses Meabh as "intoxicating".
How do you pronounce Meabh?
MAYV, with 1 syllable.
Is Meabh getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 4 of 4 regions, falling in none.
Which sister names go with Meabh?
The deck's top five sisters for Meabh: Caoimhe, Niamh, Saoirse, Roisin and Aoife. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.