Name of the Week: Ava

 

Origin:

In the English-speaking world, Ava is a name of ancient Germanic origin.  It is generally thought that Ava is the feminine form of Germanic Avi or Avo, which could either be connected to the Germanic tribe of the Aviones or from the Old Germanic alfi "elf." This developed into the diminutive forms Avila and the double suffixed Aveline (Ava + el + in). This unknown element of av, aw was also used as the first element in dithematic feminine names such as Avagisa, Avuldis and Avigerna.* Ava's later use may also have developed as a variant of Eve, a Hebrew name meaning (most agree) "life", with which it has been much confused over time. This is likely the case in the 19th and 20th century when the European pronunciation of Eva as EH-va, became rendered as Ava.  Ava (pronounced AH-va) is also a Persian name which means "voice" or "call."

Usage:

Ava can be found in notable Germanic (Frankish) houses in the early Middle Ages. Pepin the Younger of Aquitaine (823–864) had a daughter Ava (sometimes Eva) who is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. Ava of Göttweig (c. 1060–1127) was the first named female writer in the German language. Despite this, however, Ava itself is hard to find in medieval documents. The DMNES has one record of Ava from Ghent in 1050, but non from English or French records. Instead, Ava is, almost exclusively, found in its diminutive forms of Aveline (Avelina) and Avelote. Aveline was brought over to Britain by the Normans, among which it had a long history of use. Avelina of Longeville was the sister of Gunnor, wife of Richard I of Normandy and great-grandmother of William the Conqueror. The name was not very popular in Britain overall, but it was used regularly across the Middle Ages. Records include instances of Avelina, Avelin, Avelyna and Avelyn in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1189, 1200, 1273 and 1430, and the Norfolk Poll Tax of 1379. It was certainly used enough times to create the surname Aveline, Aveling and, in some cases, Evelyn. The Normans also took Aveline over to Ireland where it was borne by several aristocratic Norman-Irish ladies. It was rendered into Irish Gaelic as Aibhilín or, more commonly known today, Eibhlín which were later anglicised as Aileen and Eileen.  By the 16th century, Avelina was very uncommon, only used sporadically in areas such as Berkshire, Kent and Norfolk, and Ava was all-but-extinct.  By the 19th century, the unrelated medieval name Avis/Avice was in good use. The elaborated form Avarina – particular to Mid-Wales – and Averild/Averilda – used in Yorkshire as a form of the Old English Everild, a 7th century Yorkshire saint – can also be found.  Ava, however, was rarer than all of these. Some of its use is perhaps accounted for by the popularisation of the name Eva by the hugely successful novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.    Ava Avelina/e Avarina Averilda 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 0 births 10 births 19 births 15 birth 6 births 10 births 11 births 9 births 8 births 8 births 18 births 157 births 113 births 12 births 14 births 17 births 18 births 30 births 17 births 16 births 4 births 9 births 3 births 3 births 5 births 9 births 31 births 32 births 36 births 40 births 50 births 31 births 45 births 38 births 21 births 13 births 7 births 10 births 6 births 12 birth 21 births 18 birth 20 births 20 births 19 births 29 births 15 births 9 births 1 birth 0 births 0 births 0 births The sudden spike in the 1950s was undoubtedly thanks to the fame of Hollywood actress Ava Gardner (1922–1990) who shot to stardom with her performance in The Killers (1946) and went on to star as a leading lady in several blockbuster films in the 1950s.  The name had previously been popularized in America by socialite Ava Lowle Willing (1868–1958), wife of magnate John Jacob Astor IV, and their daughter, socialite and heiress Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902–1956). Through all this, however, Ava was never more than moderately well used. Even during the 1950s in the US, its rank never exceeded #376. But, Ava's fortunes all changed in the 1990s when a spate of celebrities used the name for their daughters, including: Ava Quinn (1989), daughter of Aidan Quinn and Elizabeth Bracco. Ava Elizabeth Sambora (1997), daughter of Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear. Ava Elizabeth Phillippe (1999), daughter of Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon. The effect of this saw Ava go from #259 in 1999 in the US to #9 in 2005 and a top 5 American staple ever since.  Britain was a little slower with the trend, but there was some initial impact from these celebrity births. In England and Wales, Ava went from #753 (30 births) in 1996 to #153 in 2004.  It first broke into the top 100 at #82 in 2005 and swiftly jumped up the rankings to #9 in 2011 – helped along by other celebrities such as Hugh Jackman (2005) and Myleene Klass (2007) also using the name. It has been in the top 10 ever since. It's highest rank was #4 (3575 births) in 2014, but the highest birth count was the previous year in 2012 when 3779 girls were given the name (ranking #6). In 2016, Ava ranked #5 (3285 births) in England and Wales.  In Scotland, Ava first entered the top 100 in 2003 at #94 (51 births). By 2008, it was #7 (416 births) and #2 in 2009 (486 births).  In 2016, Ava was #5 (360 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Ava of Göttweig (c. 1060–1127), the first named female writer in any genre in the German language. * Saint Ava, ninth century Roman Catholic saint and Frankish princess.  * Ava Lowle Willing (1868–1958), American socialite. * Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902–1956), American socialite, daughter of above. * Ava Gardner (1922–1990), American actress. Contemporary: * Ava Barber (born 1954), U.S. country singer. * Ava DuVernay (born 1972), American film director. * Ava Leigh (born 1985), British reggae singer.

Variants:

Avah

Pronunciation:

AY-və [key]

Possible  Longer Forms:

Avelina, Aveline, Avalon, Avenel, Averil, Avery, Aviva, Avonia, Avreya, Avanti, Avigail, Aviya

Sibling Names:

Olivia     Ella     Isla     Elsie     Poppy     Mia  Ethan     Max     Leo     Noah     Oliver    Lucas

Name Lists:

Short and Sweet   Ripe Renovations   Dulcet Dainties   Golden Age Hollywood

 

If you like Ava you may also like:   Layla, Zara, Maya, Ayla, Aria, Edie, Lila, Iris, Maeve, Luna

Thanks to Imogen for requesting this name.