Keara vs Meabh
Keara 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 2000, Keara was ranked #536 and Meabh #159 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Keara was ranked #5785 and Meabh #2233 among girls in England and Wales.
Keara and Meabh over time
Keara and Meabh appear together in 2 published lists, across 23 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.
Keara 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.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls14 shared years, 1979–2000
Keara held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Meabh in 8.
Highest recorded here: Keara #362 in 1985, Meabh #159 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Keara #536, Meabh #159.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 1999–2016
Keara held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Meabh in 2.
Highest recorded here: Keara #1472 in 2003, Meabh #2233 in 2016.
The order changed in 2014: Meabh moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #3285 and #5876; by 2014 that had become #5691 and #2314.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Keara #5785, Meabh #2233.
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 | Keara | 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 | England and Wales · Girls #5785 (2016) | 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); Keara does not have one recorded yet.
- Keara has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Meabh.
- A meaning is recorded for Meabh; Keara doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Keara
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #455 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1975–2000
Highest recorded position: #362 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1975–2000).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2016
Most recently recorded at #5785 among girls in England and Wales, in 2016.
England and Wales · 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 #1229 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls