Maeve


Maeve, Maev or Maiv is a female given name of Irish origin. It was spelled Medb in Old Irish, Meḋḃ or Meaḋḃ in Middle Irish, Meadhbh in early modern Irish, and is now spelled Maedbh, Méabh, or Medbh in modern Irish. It is usually Anglicised as Maeve, with variants such as Maev, Meave, Maive, Méadbh, Maedbh, and Maebh. The name means "intoxicating" or "she who intoxicates" and has strong links to mead, an ancient honey wine typically consumed during a marriage ceremony. It is rooted in the Irish legend of Queen Maeve or Medb, one of the main antagonists of the early Irish legend Táin Bó Cúailnge. It is also associated with the fairy queen Queen Mab of Irish and English legend. Maeve was a Top 100 girls' name in Ireland for all but 12 of the 46 years between 1964 and 2009, and Meabh ranked 76th on the list of the most popular Irish girls' names of 2017. In Northern Ireland, Maeve was a Top 100 girls' name between 1997 and 2004, and Meabh ranked 44th in 2017.

People with the given name