I’ve been thinking a lot about the option of [name]Maeve[/name] as a first name lately. For me it falls into the ‘underused but familiar’ category (I work in childcare and have yet to meet a single little [name]Maeve[/name]) and I can imagine it ageing well. BUT, [name]Maeve[/name] seems to get so many mentions on Nameberry (although perhaps more commonly as a middle) and is often in the pop cloud on the homepage.
So, Berries, can you please tell me…
What’s so great about [name]Maeve[/name]? What do you think of when you picture this name? Any thoughts on pro and cons?
and
Is [name]Maeve[/name] becoming too popular? (Or not yet, but soon set to skyrocket?) Or is her popularity more of a Nameberry thing?
Thanks for your help!
Oh, and I’m based in Australia, if that has any bearing on your comments(?)
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one…
I definitely think her popularity is more of a nameberry thing than real life. I’ve only ever met one little girl named [name]Maeve[/name] and she’s five years old and has a sister named [name]Esther[/name] (adore those 2 together).
[name]Maeve[/name] is has simple, straightforward sound. It has the feminine sound of ‘[name]Mae[/name]’ but is a lot more complete and less filler than just [name]Mae[/name] on it’s own. I like that is looks really girly but sounds strong at the same time. It’s uncommon and unlikely to shoot up too far in terms of popularity. It flows well with a lot of names without being filler and that’s why it’s a perfect middle name choice.
I picture a gorgeous little blonde girl, and she is just so happy and lively and I just have a real positive image about the nam [name]Maeve[/name].
I live in Southern US and I have never met or heard of a [name]Maeve[/name] in real life. When I suggested the name to my husband he thought I made it up. It would seem that it is not as familiar to my friends and family as it is to people on Nameberry, so I’m not sure about your “underused but familiar” categorization of it. I guess it just depends where you live.
I definitely think it is more popular on Nameberry than in real life, and I don’t imagine it skyrocketing any time soon.
I like [name]Maeve[/name], but more for the look and spelling than the sound. As far as sounds go, I prefer [name]Maeva[/name].
I like [name]Maeve[/name] because it’s short and sweet. I picture a girl that is adventurous and outdoorsy. A pro is that [name]Maeve[/name] is easy to say and spell. A con is that it’s uncommon and being a filler middle name for than a first name.
No I don’t think [name]Maeve[/name] is becoming too popular. I think [name]Maeve[/name]'s popularity more of a Name-berry/baby-name site delicacy.
I’m no help, I’m afraid, I don’t see the appeal in [name]Maeve[/name] at all. I like [name]Maya[/name], [name]Macy[/name], and even [name]Mary[/name] much more. [name]May[/name]/[name]Mae[/name], too. It’s just one of those I can’t see the appeal of; I can’t imagine it on an actual person (child or otherwise), and the “V” at the end sounds sort of awkward. It’s just not for me, but I would respect it if I saw it on someone else’s child.
I actually strongly dislike this name. I think it has such an ugly sound to it! It’s been suggested to me a lot b/c it’s a gaelic M name which is what I’ve been looking for but can’t find. But I just can’t stand the sound of it. I know someone who named their little girl [name]Maeve[/name] and just sounded so ugly to me.
[name]Maeve[/name] is tied for first place on my girls name list with [name]Regina[/name]. [name]Maeve[/name] is beautiful. I love the way it looks, the way it sounds, the way it feels. I think the sound is gorgeous. It has a bright attractive quality and I can see it equally well on a sweet, curious toddler and a grandmother dandling her grandkids on her knee. I think part of [name]Maeve[/name]'s attractiveness is just like you said…it is different but familiar. It doesn’t sound compeltely foriegn to us even in [name]America[/name] where [name]Emily[/name]'s and [name]Jayden[/name]'s are sort of par for the course (and it even has the sweet, vintage [name]Mae[/name] in it) but it isn’t everywhere we look either. It’s refreshing without being weird.
I don’t think [name]Maeve[/name] is getting too popular. In fact I was just talking about this with one of my friends the other day when discussing the merits of my two favorite girls names and which I should choose to use first. She argued that [name]Maeve[/name] was getting super popular. I have never met a [name]Regina[/name] myself. A friend of mine over on the east coast met one three year old [name]Maeve[/name] a couple of years ago right after having her son. Her nurse’s daughter had the name and she said she was a very cute little girl. That’s the only [name]Maeve[/name] I’ve ever heard of in real life. So I asked her where she got the idea it was becoming popular and she said a lot of berries are always mentioning it and it pops up on the little cloud of names on the homepage a lot. I wouldn’t let that bother you if you like. Berries seem to be ahead of the naming curve a lot of time (and again, how often it is mentioned vs how often it is actuall used is probably a fairly large disparity). I think [name]Maeve[/name] is more of…what did a pp say? A nameberry delicacy? I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head.
I know a [name]Maeve[/name] in her early 20’s, but that’s the only one I’ve ever met. I think the uncommon-but-familiar thing is huge for parents, and [name]Maeve[/name] falls into that category. It’s easy to pronounce and spell, quite strong and simple, has a distinctive one-syllable sound, is clearly feminine but not over-the-top flowery, and has a pretty appealing sound- the classic [name]Mae[/name] with the trendy sounds of the long “a” and “v.” I think it sounds fuller as a name than [name]Mae[/name] or [name]Macy[/name]. Cons I think would be no easy nicknames and its length- some people love shorter names so that would be a pro for them, but some people prefer to have a longer name with a short nickname. I think [name]Maeve[/name]'s brevity and strength would appeal to people who like unisex names but want something that’s more clearly feminine. I definitely like and get the appeal [name]Maeve[/name], although personally I prefer [name]Maeva[/name]. There’s no real reason for it, I just like [name]Maeva[/name] more.
[name]Maeve[/name]'s had a pretty slow, steady rise since 1997 and seems to be evening out in the 500-600 range, so barring any major [name]Maeve[/name]-related events I can’t see it exploding into popularity. It may continue to rise, but I don’t think it’ll reach the top 10 (or even top 50) any time in the next few years.
I think it’s vintage, which is popular right now. It also sounds a bit european…or Irish I guess. Which I find popular in [name]America[/name](where I live) I love this name, I see no cons. I do agree that it is used commonly as a middle name but I think that makes it feel refreshing in the first name spot.
I don’t think [name]Maeve[/name] is becoming too popular, I think it’s just a Nameberry thing!
I find nothing great about [name]Maeve[/name]… to echo someone else, I think it has a really unattractive sound. It’s so abrupt and… blah. I can’t really explain it. I just think of pave, slave, etc.
I don’t know, honestly. I don’t see the appeal. I love irish names, but [name]Maeve[/name] just seems so blah and has a really dated sound to me. I’m with Lexikj on this one - I also think it has a lot of unlikable rhyming words (such as slave).
I don’t know a [name]Maeve[/name] of any age and I don’t love the name. I’ll be checking here to see what others have to say about the merits of the name…I’d love to get a fresh perspective on it, as it is well-loved on this site!
I don’t know why everyone adores [name]Maeve[/name]…it just seems to be a likeable name!
I’m drawn to it because it seems old fashioned but also original and not over popular.
And I don’t think you’ll have a problem with it becoming super popular since the people i talk to in the outside world don’t really like the name, they like the more classic ones.
[name]Maeve[/name] is one of those names I never got the appeal of. [name]May[/name]/[name]Mae[/name] is nice. [name]Eve[/name] is pretty. But [name]Maeve[/name]? Blech! If I want a one syllable, uncommon middle name, I’d pick anything but [name]Maeve[/name], sorry.
I have a 4 year old niece named [name]Maeve[/name]. She has dark hair and is always happy! I think it’s a really nice name, unfussy but feminine too. I don’t see popularity being an issue .
I like it! I think it entered the US via [name]Ryan[/name]'s [name]Hope[/name] a million years ago, and to me it’s a more substantial one-syllable name. It’s the only long-A name I like–can’t stand [name]Grace[/name], [name]Blake[/name], [name]Lake[/name] or the [name]Aiden[/name]/ayden/[name]Aidan[/name] family. I wouldn’t use it because it rhymes with husband’s name ([name]Dave[/name]), and it could be one of those names that could be a spelling nightmare for either the unfamiliar person hearing the name of the first time, or for people who see a blank slate.
[name]Maeve[/name] is pronounced MAYV - one syllable.
Thanks everyone for your input. Really interesting to read so many mixed responses to this name, despite it’s popularity on Nameberrry as a whole.
Rather than feeling ugly or ‘blah’, I think of it as quite feminine and strong. I’m pleased to see that most agree it’s a Nameberry delicacy, rather than a name skyrocketing in the real world. I don’t need a super unique name, but would definitely prefer to stay out of the top 20 where possible.
After grappling with [name]Greer[/name], [name]Scarlett[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name] as first name contenders, we are now definitely considering [name]Maeve[/name] for the first name place for our girl, due early next year. It is by far her Dad’s favourite. It would mean alliteration with her first and last names, but we’ve made peace with that and actually quite like the sound of it with our last name (M00die) now.
Though I love our other contenders, [name]Maeve[/name] seems perhaps easier to wear than [name]Greer[/name] (feedback has told me that many people find this awkward to say), doesn’t have the popularity worries of [name]Imogen[/name] (there are lots of little [name]Imogen[/name]'s in Australia!), and feels a little more down to earth than the possible ‘diva’ sounding (and popular) [name]Scarlett[/name].
I had wanted to see if negative reactions to the name (I appreciate all comments, by the way!!) would deter me, but I’m still finding I like it.
Anyone out there think that we should just go for it?
For those of your who do see the appeal, can you push me over the line with your affirmations about why [name]Maeve[/name] is a good choice amongst the [name]Chloe[/name]/[name]Ava[/name]/[name]Ruby[/name]/[name]Mia[/name]/[name]Isabella[/name] birth-announcement crowd?
