Maeve: meaning and UK use

What does Maeve mean?

Maeve is an anglicised form of Medb. Its connection with a queen in Irish mythology is an association, not a literal meaning of queen.

Language or name family covered

Irish

Meaning or derivation

Intoxicating

Our browsing group

girl; international, vintage

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Maeve

Pronunciation and related forms

MAYV (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Méabh, Meadhbh. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Maeve?

In 2025, 1,330 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Maeve, making it the 26th most popular girls’ name. That is the same position as in 2024. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 620th, so it has climbed 594 places in a decade. That equals its highest ranking in the ONS series, which starts in 1996. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

26th

2025 registrations

1,330

Best rank in this series

26th (2025)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Maeve: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	26	1,330
2024	26	1,265
2023	36	1,114
2022	48	990
2021	77	654
2020	94	547
2019	218	225
2018	507	84
2017	560	77
2016	638	66
2015	620	67
2014	652	61
2013	699	57
2012	690	60
2011	744	51
2010	695	53
2009	647	57
2008	878	37
2007	755	44
2006	717	43
2005	824	34
2004	722	39
2003	933	26
2002	842	28
2001	696	36
2000	728	32
1999	900	24
1998	649	38
1997	736	32
1996	891	24

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 7,195. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Maeve

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Margotvintage, international · A short form of Marguerite
• Niamhinternational · Bright
• Ninainternational, vintage · A short form of names ending in -nina
• Orlainternational · An anglicised form of Órlaith
• Adavintage · From an element meaning noble
• Aishainternational · Living or alive

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Maeve, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.