Meabh vs Sarah
Meabh and Sarahcompared 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, Meabh was ranked #17 and Sarah #75 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Meabh was ranked #413 and Sarah #66 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Meabh was ranked #1229 and Sarah #131 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Meabh was ranked #351 and Sarah #148 among girls in Scotland.
Meabh and Sarah over time
Meabh and Sarah appear together in 3 published lists, across 96 years of shared records. Sarah held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Meabh 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.
Sarah reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Meabh moved into the top 50 at #37 in 2020 as Sarah fell out of it to #60, having been #37 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2020, Meabh moved ahead of Sarah in Northern Ireland · Girls — #45 and #37 the year before became #37 and #60.
- Longest-running competitions
Meabh and Sarah were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 48 years, from 1976 to 2025, ending at #413 and #66.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls48 shared years, 1976–2025
Meabh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sarah in 48.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #76 in 2017, Sarah #1 in 1983.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Meabh #413, Sarah #66.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Meabh held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Sarah in 22.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #17 in 2024, Sarah #5 in 2002.
The order changed in 2020: Meabh moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #45 and #37; by 2020 that had become #37 and #60.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Meabh #17, Sarah #75.
England and Wales · Girls20 shared years, 1999–2025
Meabh held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sarah in 20.
Highest recorded here: Meabh #952 in 2024, Sarah #31 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Meabh #1229, Sarah #131.
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 | Sarah |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | From Hebrew, meaning 'lady, princess, noblewoman'. In the Old Testament, Sarah's name was changed from Sarai by God, alongside Abraham's own name change (Genesis 17:15); she is regarded as matriarch of the Jewish people. |
| Origin | Irish | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmʲeːw/ | /ˈsɛɹ.ə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #413 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #66 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Meabh is recorded with a Irish origin, while Sarah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Meabh has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Sarah.
- Meabh's recorded meaning differs from Sarah's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, 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 #1229 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sarah
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #86 among girls in New Zealand in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1958–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 1974 (recorded 1958–2019).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #131 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls