Meabh vs Nea
Meabh and Neacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Meabh was ranked #1229 and Nea #2788 among girls in England and Wales.
Meabh and Nea over time
Meabh and Nea appear together in 1 published list, across 12 years of shared records. Meabh held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Nea in 0.
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.
Meabh reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Nea 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Meabh #952 in 2024, Nea #2788 in 2025.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls12 shared years, 2003–2025
Meabh held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Nea in 1.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #952 in 2024, Nea #2788 in 2025.
The order changed in 2013: Meabh moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #5876 and #5876; by 2013 that had become #2887 and #5742.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Meabh #1229, Nea #2788.
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 | Nea |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #413 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #2788 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Meabh has a recorded origin (Irish); Nea does not have one recorded yet.
- Meabh and Nea both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Meabh; Nea doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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 #1229 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Nea
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #3848 among girls in England and Wales in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1998–2025
Highest recorded position: #2746 among girls in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1998–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2788 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls