Joyce vs Meabh
Joyce 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Joyce was ranked #885 and Meabh #413 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Joyce was ranked #1894 and Meabh #952 among girls in England and Wales.
Joyce and Meabh over time
Joyce and Meabh appear together in 2 published lists, across 60 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Joyce reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Meabh in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
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.
- Longest-running competitions
Joyce and Meabh were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 41 years, from 1976 to 2025, ending at #885 and #413.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls41 shared years, 1976–2025
Joyce held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Meabh in 30.
Highest recorded here: Joyce #197 in 1981, Meabh #82 in 2016.
The order changed in 1990: Meabh moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #272 and #332; by 1990 that had become #409 and #201.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joyce #885, Meabh #413.
England and Wales · Girls19 shared years, 1999–2024
Joyce held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Meabh in 4.
Highest recorded here: Joyce #731 in 2003, Meabh #952 in 2024.
The order changed in 2021: Meabh moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #2042 and #3447; by 2021 that had become #1785 and #1286.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joyce #1894, Meabh #952.
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 | Joyce | 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #413 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Meabh has a recorded origin (Irish); Joyce does not have one recorded yet.
- Joyce has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Meabh.
- A meaning is recorded for Meabh; Joyce doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Joyce
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #149 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #144 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1966 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 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