Meaning and background
The story behind Mave
Mave is a less familiar spelling in the Maeve family of Irish names. Maeve is an English form of Medb, the name of the legendary queen of Connacht, whose Irish source name is traditionally interpreted as “intoxicating”. The spelling Mave is therefore more than a random variation, though it should not acquire new mythology of its own. Its single strong syllable is clear when spoken to a dog.
- Origin
- Rare Irish variant of Maeve, itself an anglicisation of the Irish mythological name Medb. Source
Try Mave out loud
Everyday moments“Mave, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Mave
Recorded as a dog’s name
Mave appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/meɪv/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/meɪv/ · primary stress on syllable 1M EY1 V
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Mave beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Mave
Narrow the finder by the features you want to keep.
Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.