Sweet; goodness
Saidbh is a girl's name of Celtic origin, derived from the Old Irish word 'sadb' meaning sweet or good. It is one of the most authentically ancient Irish female names still in active use, appearing in some of the earliest surviving Irish mythological texts. In the Fenian Cycle, Saidbh was a woman transformed into a deer by a druid — a story that has kept the name present in Irish cultural memory for well over a thousand years.
Saidbh's most celebrated appearance is in the Fenian Cycle as the mother of Oisín, the great poet-warrior of Irish mythology. She was enchanted into the form of a deer by the god Fer Doirich and only regained human form when she entered the protection of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, becoming his beloved wife before being taken again. Her story is one of the most poignant in Irish mythology, and it gives the name a depth of literary and spiritual heritage that few names can match.
Gentle, poetic, and deeply feeling — Saidbh tends to be resilient and imaginative, a person who carries strong emotions with quiet grace and a natural connection to story and tradition.
Saidbh is recorded at #352 in Ireland according to CSO data, placing it among the more specialised Gaelic revival names chosen by Irish parents. It has no recorded rankings in the US, UK, or Canada, making it exceptionally rare outside Ireland.
Saidbh is pronounced 'Sive,' rhyming with 'five' — just one syllable. The 'aibh' combination in Irish produces this long I sound, and the 'dh' is silent. It's one of those Irish names where the gap between spelling and pronunciation is particularly wide.
Saidbh means sweet or good in Old Irish, and in mythology she was a woman transformed into a deer by a druid. She is best known as the mother of Oisín in the Fenian Cycle, making Saidbh a name with deep and moving narrative roots.
The spelling is genuinely challenging for non-Irish speakers. Some families use the alternate spelling Sadhbh, which is equally traditional, while others simply embrace the gentle correction of telling people 'it's pronounced Sive.'
Yes — Sadhbh is the most common alternative spelling and equally valid in Irish. The anglicised form Sive is also used and makes the pronunciation immediately clear to English speakers. Sabia is another anglicisation occasionally seen.
Browse related
Discover more baby names by letter and origin: