Maeven
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "the intoxicating one".
Name Census estimates that about 325 living Americans carry the first name Maeven. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maeven today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maeven births was 2023 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maeven. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
325
~ 1 in 1,054,629 Americans
Peak year
2023
58 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,608
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Maeven: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maeven from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 208 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maeven by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maeven during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maevens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Maeven
The given name Maeven is a variant of the Irish name Meabh or Maeve, which derives from the ancient Celtic word "medb" meaning "intoxicating" or "causing frenzy". This name has its roots in Irish mythology and is associated with the legendary Queen Medb of Connacht, a powerful and formidable ruler in ancient Irish folklore.
The name Medb is thought to have originated during the Iron Age, around the 5th century BCE, when the Celts inhabited Ireland and parts of western Europe. It was a name given to girls born into noble or royal families, as it symbolized strength, courage, and leadership qualities.
In the ancient Irish epic the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), Queen Medb is portrayed as a fierce and ambitious warrior queen who leads her army into battle against the forces of Ulster. Her character is often seen as a representation of female power and independence in a patriarchal society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maeven can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, such as Medb, Meadhbh, and Maeve, throughout Irish literature and historical records.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Maeven or its variants include:
1. Máel Muire ingen Mhic Craith (fl. 1150), an Irish noblewoman and patron of the arts.
2. Maeve O'Tully (c. 1470 – c. 1540), an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Tully clan in County Sligo.
3. Meave Fetherstonhaugh (1572 - 1650), an English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I.
4. Maeve Ní Cheallaigh (1630 - 1707), an Irish noblewoman and patron of Irish poets and bards.
5. Maud Gonne (1866 - 1953), an English-born Irish revolutionary and activist, who was also an influential figure in the Irish literary revival.
While the name Maeven may have fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a significant part of Irish cultural heritage and a reminder of the powerful female figures that have shaped the country's history and mythology.
People
Maeven + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maeven as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maeven: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maeven?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 325 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maeven going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,054,629 US residents.
Is Maeven a common name?
We classify Maeven as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 327 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maeven most popular?
The single biggest year for Maeven was 2023, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maeven is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maeven a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maeven in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.