Pronunciation
Sive (rhymes with five)
Meaning
Sweetness, goodness
Alternate spellings
Sadb; Sadbh; Saibh; Sadhb; Sive; Saeve; Saidhbhe; Saidhbh
Fun fact
In Irish legend, Sadhbh rejects a druid and he turns her into a deer. She later becomes human again and marries Fionn mac Cumhaill, but she's tricked into leaving the castle grounds and turned back into a deer. She raises their son in the forest. That son is Oisín, whose name means little deer.
Popularity in Ireland
Figures for the spelling Sadhbh, Republic of Ireland.
The CSO only publishes names given to three or more babies in a year. “Less than 3” means zero, one or two babies, and these years appear as gaps on the graph.
Number of babies registered each year
From 2018, spellings with and without fadas are counted separately. Earlier figures group these spellings together, so the graph has a break at 2018.
View yearly figures
| Year | Babies named | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 | #32 |
| 2024 | 117 | #38 |
| 2023 | 120 | #40 |
| 2022 | 153 | #32 |
| 2021 | 150 | #35 |
| 2020 | 128 | #39 |
| 2019 | 145 | #37 |
| 2018 | 114 | #52 |
| 2017 | 104 | #61 |
| 2016 | 108 | #57 |
| 2015 | 123 | #53 |
| 2014 | 144 | #44 |
| 2013 | 108 | #67 |
| 2012 | 113 | #61 |
| 2011 | 132 | #56 |
| 2010 | 117 | #64 |
| 2009 | 111 | #69 |
| 2008 | 107 | #67 |
| 2007 | 95 | #70 |
| 2006 | 78 | #76 |
| 2005 | 77 | #73 |
| 2004 | 65 | #86 |
| 2003 | 66 | #75 |
| 2002 | 52 | #94 |
| 2001 | 47 | #103 |
| 2000 | 43 | #101 |
| 1999 | 22 | #165 |
| 1998 | 35 | #107 |
| 1997 | 46 | #110 |
| 1996 | 25 | #181 |
| 1995 | 23 | #187 |
| 1994 | 25 | #171 |
| 1993 | 19 | #204 |
| 1992 | 27 | #172 |
| 1991 | 17 | #224 |
| 1990 | 11 | #281 |
| 1989 | 11 | #285 |
| 1988 | 6 | #381 |
| 1987 | 10 | #310 |
| 1986 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1985 | 4 | #456 |
| 1984 | 15 | #252 |
| 1983 | 5 | #438 |
| 1982 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1981 | 5 | #423 |
| 1980 | 4 | #483 |
| 1979 | 3 | #523 |
| 1978 | 3 | #522 |
| 1977 | 5 | #429 |
| 1976 | 4 | #429 |
| 1975 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1974 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1973 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1972 | 4 | #428 |
| 1971 | 3 | #466 |
| 1970 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1969 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1968 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1967 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1966 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1965 | Less than 3 | - |
| 1964 | Less than 3 | - |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies’ Names, tables VSA50 and VSA60. Latest year: 2025.