Fae vs Meabh
Fae and Meabhcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Fae was ranked #407 and Meabh #17 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Fae was ranked #718 and Meabh #413 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Fae was ranked #2253 and Meabh #952 among girls in England and Wales.
Fae and Meabh over time
Fae and Meabh appear together in 2 published lists, across 28 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Fae and Meabh changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1999 and 2024, ending at #2253 and #952.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls19 shared years, 1999–2024
Fae held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Meabh in 7.
Highest recorded here: Fae #1552 in 2003, Meabh #952 in 2024.
The order changed in 2021: Meabh moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #2300 and #3447; by 2021 that had become #2499 and #1286.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Fae #2253, Meabh #952.
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2010–2025
Fae held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Meabh in 9.
Highest recorded here: Fae #718 in 2025, Meabh #82 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fae #718, Meabh #413.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Fae | Meabh |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The modern Irish form of the older name Medb (Anglicised 'Maeve'), traditionally associated with the mythological warrior-queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmʲeːw/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #718 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #413 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Meabh has a recorded origin (Irish); Fae does not have one recorded yet.
- Fae and Meabh both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Meabh; Fae doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Fae
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1755 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2014–2024
Highest recorded position: #397 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2020 (recorded 2014–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #718 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Meabh
Popularity journey
First recorded1976
First recorded at #392 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1976 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #17 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2024 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #413 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls