Maeve
Maeve, Maev or Maiv is a female given name of Irish origin. It was spelled Medb in Old Irish (pronounced [mɛðv]), Meḋḃ or Meaḋḃ in Middle Irish, Meadhbh in early modern Irish ([mɛɣv]),[1] and is now spelled Maedbh, Méabh ([mʲeːv]), or Medbh in modern Irish. It is usually Anglicised as Maeve /ˈmeɪv/, 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. (Some scholars have offered alternative etymologies.) 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 (in that spelling) 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.[2]
| Pronunciation | /ˈmeɪv/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Irish |
| Region of origin | Europe |
People with the given name
- Medb, Queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology
- Medb ingen Indrechtach mac Muiredaig, Princess of Connacht, fl. 800
- Maeve Binchy (1940–2012), Irish writer
- Maeve Brennan (1917–1993), Irish short story writer and journalist
- Maeve Dermody (born 1985), Australian actress
- Maeve Fort (born 1940), British diplomat
- Maeve Harris (born 1976), American abstract painter
- Maeve Higgins (born 1981), Irish comedian
- Maeve Hillery (née Finnegan), retired Irish doctor, the widow of Patrick Hillery, President of Ireland 1976–90
- Maeve Ingoldsby (born 1947), Irish writer
- Maeve Jinkings (born 1976), Brazilian actress
- Maeve Kelly (born 1930), Irish writer
- Maeve Kennedy McKean, American official
- Maeve Kinkead (born 1946), American actress
- Meave Leakey, paleontologist, born 1942
- Maeve McCarthy, Irish mathematician
- Maeve McGuire (born 1937), American actress
- Maeve Murphy, Irish screenwriter and film director
- Maeve O'Boyle (born 1987), Scottish singer-songwriter
- Maeve O'Donovan (born 1990), Irish singer
- Maeve Quaid, Canadian administrator
- Maeve Quinlan (born 1964), American actress and tennis player
- Maeve Sherlock (born 1960), British administrator
Other
- Queen Maeve International Summer School, or Scoil Samhraidh Miosgán Medbha, one of Ireland's traditional music summer schools
- Stella Maeve (born 1989), American actress
In popular culture
- Maeve Benson, in the ABC Family drama Make It Or Break It, played by Alice Greczyn
- Maeve Donavan, in the American police drama Criminal Minds
- Maeve Millay, a main character in the TV series Westworld
- Maeve Ridordan, in Cate Tiernan's Sweep (book series)
- Maeve Ryan, in the American soap opera Ryan's Hope, played by Helen Gallagher
- Maeve Rojas, in Karen McManus’s One of Us book series
- Maeve Stoddard, in the American soap opera Guiding Light
- Maeve Wiley, in the Netflix series Sex Education, played by Emma Mackey
- Maeve, a sorceress in the Canadian TV series The Adventures of Sinbad
- Maeve, a flanker class character in the popular video game Paladins: Champions of the Realm
- Maeve, a Fae Queen in the Throne of Glass series
- Maeve, The Winter Lady, the youngest of the Winter Queens, who is The Queen Who Is To Come in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
- Queen Maeve, a superhero who is part of "The 7" on the series The Boys.
- Maebh, character in the 8th series, 10th episode of Doctor Who, "In the Forest of the Night".
- Queen Meve, Queen of Lyria and Rivia in The Witcher universe, who gave Geralt his title "of Rivia"
References
- nic Bryan, Mari Elspeth (4 January 2004). "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Meadhbh". MedievalScotland.org. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- Nickerson, Eleanor (25 August 2018). "Name of the Week: Maeve: A sleek and sturdy perennial Irish choice with a fascinating warrior-queen goddess namesake. Ripe for export". British Baby Names. Retrieved 27 August 2018.