How popular is the baby name Medb in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Medb.

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Popularity of the baby name Medb


Posts that mention the name Medb

Name quotes #95: Caoimhe, Warren, Keith

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Some interesting thoughts on why only certain Irish names tend to be anglicized, from the Irish Arts Center:

“Caoimhe” has been consistently more popular than the anglicized spelling, “Keeva.” How did this happen when so many other Irish names appeared to make concessions to English spelling norms?

While Medb/Maeve, Sadhbh/Sive, Seán/Shawn and other names were popular at a time when the Irish language and pride in Irish identity was against the ropes, Caoimhe and Fiadh are names that rose in the ranks when Ireland was swaggering culturally and commercially. It was also a time when Irish language television and schools were making strides.

Caoimhe is one of the names given by parents to the first generation of daughters not expected to emigrate, who would grow up surrounded by people who would know that the “mh” sounds like a “v” in the middle or at the end of a word.

…And another quote from the same site that I just couldn’t leave out:

Teachers warning their students of the importance of a fada will often point out that without the accent, Orla (‘uhr-lah’) would mean “vomit” rather than “golden princess.” However, Órlas have to live with this indignity in an online world where many websites won’t accept non-standard characters.

[According to this letter to the Irish Times, the same holds true for the names Méabh and Síne, which, without the fadas, turn into the words meabh, “hen,” and sine, “nipple.”]

From a Telegraph essay by Warren Watson (b. 1950), who had a “surprise” twin brother named Wayne.

So, what happened to the name William? […] It was the traditional family name for a Watson male, going back at least four generations in England and Scotland.

Fairness was paramount for my mom, you see. […] If I were named William, it would not be fair to my twin brother. So, neither Watson would be honored with the family name.

In 1950, she dug out a baby name book, purchased earlier at the Rexall drug store downtown. “Warren” and “Wayne” sat there in the same column. So, “Warren” and “Wayne” they would be. In alphabetical order, of course.

From a Condé Nast Traveler article about hotels using artificial intelligence, including robots with interesting names:

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the M Social hotel is using a front-of-house robot called Aura to deliver small amenities like water, towels, and toiletries to rooms. Another robot, Ausca, cooks your eggs in the morning. Elsewhere in the city, Hotel Jen uses colorful butler robots named Jeno and Jena to perform guest services that include in-room dining delivery.

From a Daily Mail article about nominative determinism:

And now, a man called Keith Weed has been appointed president of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Of course he has. Especially when you hear that his father’s name was Weed and his mother’s name was Hedges.

‘If a Weed gets together with a Hedges, I think they’re going to give birth to the president of the RHS,’ said Mr Weed, 59, who lives near RHS Wisley in Surrey.

From the 1812 book A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels (Vol. 4), edited by Robert Kerr:

When the eldest son of Huana Capac was born, he ordered a prodigious chain or cable of gold to be made, so large and heavy that two hundred men were hardly able to lift it. In remembrance of this circumstance, the infant was named Huascar, which signifies a cable or large rope, as the Peruvians have no word in their language signifying a chain. To this name of Huascar was added the surname Inca, belonging to all their kings, just as Augustus was given to all the Roman emperors.

[The name Huascar was a one-hit wonder in the SSA data in 1997, incidentally.]

Where did the baby name Maeve come from in 1940?

The character Maeve O'Riorden (played by actress Laraine Day) in the movie "My Son, My Son!" (1940).
Maeve O’Riorden from “My Son, My Son!”

The Irish name Maeve (pronounced mayv) — an Anglicized form of Medb, meaning “intoxicating” — wasn’t widely used in the U.S. until it got three distinct boosts from popular culture.

The first boost came from the movie My Son, My Son! (1940), which featured a character named Maeve O’Riorden (played by Laraine Day).

  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: 10 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1940: 8 baby girls named Maeve [debut]
  • 1939: unlisted
  • 1938: unlisted

(Notably, the character pronounced her name with two syllables: MAY-vuh.)

The second boost came decades later, from the soap opera Ryan’s Hope (1975-1989), which featured a character named Maeve Ryan (played by Helen Gallagher).

  • 1989: 52 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1988: 56 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1987: 41 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1986: 45 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1985: 32 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1984: 30 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1983: 23 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1982: 19 baby girls named Maeve

The third boost is most likely attributable to the action/adventure TV show The Adventures of Sinbad (1996-1998), which featured a character named Maeve (played by Jacqueline Collen). But Irish writer Maeve Binchy — whose book Circle of Friends (1990) was made into a popular movie of the same name in 1995 — may have been an influence as well.

  • 1999: 343 baby girls named Maeve (ranked 669th)
  • 1998: 240 baby girls named Maeve (ranked 881st)
  • 1997: 207 baby girls named Maeve (ranked 955th)
  • 1996: 141 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1995: 133 baby girls named Maeve
  • 1994: 102 baby girls named Maeve

In 1997, Maeve entered the top 1,000 for the first time ever.

By 2010, Maeve ranked 536th — very close to the top 500.

How high do you think the name will climb?

Update, 2016: Five years on, in 2015, Maeve ranked 450th. Still climbing!

Update, 2022: In the 2021 data, Maeve ranked 124th — very close to the top 100!