Meaning and history
Meadhbh is an Irish spelling of Medb or Maeve. The Old Irish name is traditionally connected with a word meaning “intoxicating” or “she who intoxicates,” perhaps carrying implications of sovereignty. Queen Medb of Connacht is a central figure in the Ulster Cycle and drives the cattle raid in Táin Bó Cúailnge. The spelling Meadhbh preserves Irish consonant conventions and differs from English phonetic expectations. Prominent exact-spelling modern bearers are comparatively limited.