Irish girl name
Badb Name Meaning, Origin & Pronunciation
Badb means crow. From the Old Irish word badb, meaning crow, the name of a battle goddess.
Badb is a battle goddess of Irish tradition who appears as a crow or scaldcrow over the field of conflict. She is often named with the Mórrígan and Macha, and some sources treat the three as aspects of the same figure. The word badb means crow, and in later Irish it came to mean a hag or a fierce woman. Bold and very short, Badb is for parents who like fierce, unusual names. The Irish spelling can look surprising, but it is said like byve, rhyming with five.
Variants of Badb
BodbBadhbhBov
Badb popularity: Ireland vs the US
Badb does not appear in the official Irish or US baby name rankings, which only list names given to a handful of babies a year. It is a rare choice in both countries.
Data: US Social Security Administration (public domain) and Central Statistics Office, Ireland (CC BY 4.0). Irish accented spellings (such as Síle) are only recorded from 2018, so earlier years combine spellings.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Badb mean?
Badb means "crow". From the Old Irish word badb, meaning crow, the name of a battle goddess.
How do you pronounce Badb?
Badb is pronounced BYVE.
What is the origin of Badb?
Badb is of Irish origin. From the Old Irish word badb, meaning crow, the name of a battle goddess.