Find out how popular the last name Meave is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Meave.

Meave, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Meave surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meave in America

Meave is the 57372nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meave surname appeared 355 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Meave.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meave to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meave

The surname Meave originated in Ireland, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "Meadhbh," which means "intoxicating" or "she who intoxicates." The name Meadhbh is associated with a legendary queen of Connacht, a western province of Ireland, who was renowned for her beauty and prowess in battle.

The Meave surname was particularly prominent in the counties of Sligo and Mayo in the western region of Ireland. In ancient Irish manuscripts, the name was often spelled as "Medhbh" or "Meidhbh," reflecting the evolving orthography of the Gaelic language over time.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Meave can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname, including Domhnall Meave, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 13th century.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Conchobhar Meave is recorded as having participated in the Irish Bruce Wars, a conflict between the Kingdom of England and the Scottish King Robert the Bruce, who sought to establish his brother Edward as the King of Ireland.

During the 16th century, the Meave surname was associated with the O'Dowda clan, a prominent Gaelic family based in County Sligo. Tadhg Meave O'Dowda, born in 1532, was a renowned poet and scholar who composed works in both Irish and Latin.

In the 18th century, William Meave (1722-1793) was a renowned Irish mathematician and astronomer who contributed significantly to the field of celestial mechanics. He served as the Astronomer Royal of Ireland and was a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Another notable figure with the surname Meave was Maud Meave (1855-1934), an Irish-born playwright and novelist who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of Irish identity and the struggle for independence. Her play "The Passionate Patriot" was widely acclaimed and performed in both Ireland and the United States.

While the surname Meave is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Ireland's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the country's ancient traditions and the enduring legacy of its Gaelic roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meave

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Meave.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Meave was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meave has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Meave was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Meave, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!