Maeve
Maeve was the 76th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,153 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 73rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (3,153). Over the last ten years it has moved up 376 places. More babies were named Maeve in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Irish
Say it MAYV /meɪv/
- Rank in 2025
- #76 girls, up 98 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,153girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20253,153 babies
- Total since 1880
- 29,608babies recorded
What does the name Maeve mean?
Maeve is the English spelling of the Irish name Méabh, from Old Irish Medb, the name of the warrior queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of legends. Wiktionary glosses Medb 'intoxicating', and Wikipedia gives 'she who intoxicates' or 'mead-woman', both connecting it with the word for mead, as well as an alternative reading 'she who rules'. Scholars agree on the Irish origin but not on the exact sense. It was long used mostly in Ireland before spreading to the US.
Medb (Old Irish, “Medb, legendary queen”)mid (Old Irish, “mead (proposed link)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two readings: 'intoxicating / mead-woman' and 'she who rules'.
Related names: Méabh, Medb, Maev, Mave.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maeve', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Maeve', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Maeve popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #76 | 3,153 |
| 2020 | #174 | 1,644 |
| 2010 | #536 | 546 |
| 2000 | #778 | 295 |
| 1990 | #2,505 | 48 |
| 1980 | #5,422 | 13 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #3,295 | 15 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | #3,399 | 8 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Maeve, counting every spelling?
Maeve is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #98 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #76 for Maeve on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,226 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maeve | 3,153 | #76 | 14,249 |
| Mayve | 56 | #2,984 | 124 |
| Maive | 12 | #8,665 | 60 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Maeve?
3,153 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maeve (0.87 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Maeve born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maeve.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maeve?
About 29,300 people born in the US named Maeve are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 14. That makes Maeve a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Maeve by state
How common Maeve was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (8.8×), New Hampshire (6.1×), Rhode Island (5.1×), Maine (4.8×), Massachusetts (3.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Texas, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maeve: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maeve, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maeve · Sibling names for Maeve
Questions about the name Maeve
What does Maeve mean?
The origin of Maeve is uncertain: two readings: 'intoxicating / mead-woman' and 'she who rules'.
How popular is the name Maeve?
Maeve was the 76th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,153 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 73rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (3,153). Over the last ten years it has moved up 376 places. More babies were named Maeve in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Maeve a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Maeve in the US.
Where is Maeve most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maeve was most common in Vermont (15.47 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Hampshire and Rhode Island.