Meabh vs Meg
Meabh and Megcompared 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 2003, Meabh was ranked #84 and Meg #331 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Meabh was ranked #421 and Meg #871 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Meabh was ranked #1286 and Meg #3961 among girls in England and Wales.
Meabh and Meg over time
Meabh and Meg appear together in 2 published lists, across 34 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.
Meg 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Meabh and Meg changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1999 and 2021, ending at #1286 and #3961.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1993–2019
Meabh held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Meg in 0.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #88 in 2008, Meg #269 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Meabh #421, Meg #871.
England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1999–2021
Meabh held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Meg in 9.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #1286 in 2021, Meg #474 in 1999.
The order changed in 2021: Meabh moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #3447 and #3447; by 2021 that had become #1286 and #3961.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Meabh #1286, Meg #3961.
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 | Meabh | Meg |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | The modern Irish form of the older name Medb (Anglicised 'Maeve'), traditionally associated with the mythological warrior-queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmʲeːw/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #413 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3961 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Meabh has a recorded origin (Irish); Meg does not have one recorded yet.
- Meabh and Meg both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Meabh; Meg doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
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
Meg
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2019
Highest recorded position: #269 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1993–2019).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #3961 among girls in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · Girls