Maeve

mayv

Irish

"she who intoxicates"

Maeve Origin and Meaning

The name Maeve is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "she who intoxicates".

Maeve is a short and sweet name that has become one of the most stylish Irish names for girls in the modern US. Maeve would make an excellent first or middle name choice, with more heft than Mae/May and more modern charm than Mavis.

Maeve appears in Irish mythology in two forms, one as the powerful Queen of Connacht, the other as the queen of the fairies. Maeve of Connacht was a warrior queen, famous for starting a war in attempt to steal her ex-husband’s stud bull. Other spellings are Meabh, Medb and Meadhbh, which are connected to mead, a honey-based wine that was produced in many ancient cultures.

Chris O'Donnell, Lili Taylor and Kathryn Erbe used Maeve for their daughters. The Irish author Maeve Binchy also is a well-known bearer. Maeve is the name of one of the lead characters on the HBO show Westworld.

Irish spelling Meabh is popular in Ireland, but not recommended in the US.

Maeve Rank in US Top 1000

# 73 in the US

Maeve Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1 on Nameberry

Maeve Popularity

• 73 US 2023
• 1 Nameberry 2025
• 40 Canada 2023
• 197 Future 2028
• 36 England 2023
• 40 Scotland 2023
• 80 Ireland 2023
• 43 Australia 2023
• 35 New Zealand 2024
• 14 Netherlands 2024

20 Names Similar to Maeve

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Maeve.

• Freya
• Mae
• Ivy
• Hazel
• Elodie
• Eloise
• Iris
• Wren
• Ophelia
• Mabel
• Imogen
• Maisie
• Isla
• Juniper
• Nora
• Luna
• Genevieve
• Eleanor
• Willa
• Cora

Famous People Named Maeve

• (Anne) Maeve Binchy Irish novelist
• Maeve Brennan Irish novelist
• Maeve Dermody Australian actress
• Maeve Geraldine Fort British diplomat
• Maeve Patricia Mary Theresa Gilmore British painter; wife of author Mervyn Peake
• Maeve Higgins Irish comedienne
• Maeve Kinkead American soap opera actress
• Maeve Anne Quinlan American actress
• Maeve Fahey Kennedy Townsend (b. 1979) daughter of politician Kathleen Kennedy Townsend; granddaughter of politician Robert F. Kennedy
• Maeve Elsbeth Erbe Kinney (b. 1995) daughter of actors Terry Kinney and Kathryn Erbe
• Maeve Frances O'Donnell (b. 2007) daughter of actor Chris O'Donnell
• Maeve Taylor Flynn (b. 2008), daughter of actress Lili Taylor and poet Nick Flynn
• Maeve Thea Rosa (b. 2017) daughter of YouTubers Tara and Mandi Rosa of Living Rosa; twin of sister Everett Lux
• Maev Alexander (born Maev Alexandra Reid McConnell) Scottish actress
• Maev Ni Mhaolchatha Irish singer of group Celtic Woman

Maeve in Pop Culture

• Maeve queen of Connaught in Irish mythology
• Maeve character on TV's Make It Or Break It
• Maeve character in Dustlands series by Moira Young
• Maeve Colleary Ryan character on American soap Ryan's Hope
• Maeve Donovan former girlfriend of Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds
• Maeve Celtic sorceress on TV show The Adventures of Sinbad
• Maeve Millay character on TV series Westworld
• Maeve Jacqueline Kelly Corrigan Queen of Beldain, character in "The Young Elites" book series by Marie Lu
• Queen Maeve main antagonist of Sarah J. Maas's book series "Throne of Glass"
• Maeve Wiley character on TV's Sex Education
• Maeve Rojas character in "One of Us is Lying" by Karen McManus