Maeve

[blueberrymoon]

How is this pronounced please? Thank you :)

So hard to say really, the one I know is kind of Mayv

Ooh, thank you, I like it. It is usable if you're not Irish, do you think?

Of course. My name is Scottish and my sisters is French originally. Both pretty common names in England.

If you love a name then just use it.

Seconding 'Mayv'. It's pretty.

Maeve is lovely, lovely, lovely. It's appeared on a couple of threads recently. Go for it, I say.

I love it. You don't need to be Irish to use it!

Obviously don't spell it Maedhbh !

It sound unfinished to me. I know Mavis is an "old lady name" but I prefer it!

I like it

Thank you all. It is one I am excited about for hypothetical daughter, and one which DH actually likes too! Now for a middle name...?! :)

Iris? (for middle name?) Sorry, just living vicariously. I love the name Maeve and DH will have none of it . Actually, I've just realised that could end up sounding like May Virus if you say it together. Not good! How about Alice?

Maeve (or Maebh) is a very traditional Irish name. Seems to have become more popular of late. I love it.

:) Carry on speculation! I'm open to suggestions! Alice was my great grandmother and I like it a lot! Unfortunately DH doesn't like using family names!

Thanks OFGS :)

Hi blueberrymoon this is my sister name and we're Irish, I didn't realise this name was uncommon outside Ireland, it just a normal name over here.
Its pron May-iv.

btw i've seen it spelt Meabh and Maebh but I think Meabh is the correct spelling, I have a friend who's is spelt Meadhbh but I can only imagine peoples faces outside of ireland

my sis's middle name is Anne and i think goes quite well.

hilltop do you say it as two syllables or one? ive never hear it with two before.. is that how you're supposed to say it? I shall defer to your superior irish knowledge :)

Some people pron it with just one syllable but the correct pron is two, there is a fada on the e in the truly Irish spelling so its actually Méabh.

An irish fada is similar to french accent in that the letter its placed over should be accentuated thus leading to the two syllables as when u emphasis the e you have to come down again if you know wat I mean.

I've also heard it pronounced Meev.

Hi hilltop thank you so much! That is really good to know. So how accepted is the spelling Maeve - I like things to be spelt properly, but don't want to cause problems for future daughter, who will grow up in England (more than likely). Also, does that mean that Niamh is actually Nee-iv??? :)

I am Irish and would spell it Meabh (can't do the fada) but Maeve is perfectly acceptable. The fada makes the vowel sound long.
Yes Niamh is kinda one and a half syllables, a strong Neee and a soft v.

Maeve is probably the most widley accepted spelling although im in the north so Méabh is possibly used in the south more, but if your in England i would go for Maeve it will cause less problems.

Niamh doesn't have a fada that i know off, I have a couple of friends with this name and some people say nee-av some just say Neev, but I have an American cousin with this name too and they definately use 2 syllables its more like nay-av.

So I would say go for what you like saying yourself as peoples pronounciation just depends on where they're from really.

Really pretty name. Mayve spelt Maeve.

Thank you all. What do you think of...

Maeve Emilia
Maeve Sophia
Maeve Phoebe

Or can you think of any more...?

I'd like the MN to have 6 letters so same total number of letters as DS has (silly I know, but I can't shake it off!), and surname is 2 syllables starting with 'O'.

:)

Quite like Maeve Sophia

How about

Astrid
Agatha
Bessie
Bertha
Althea
Carmen
Celine
Claire
Connie
Daphne
Deliah
Evelyn
Gloria
Gladys
Ingrid

I like Maeve Emilia best, both to look at and to pronounce.

xanthe