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Avonlea: Baby Name of the Day

May 15, 2013 By appellationmountain 29 Comments

AvonleaShe’s one of the most famous fictional places ever, right up there with Oz.

Thanks to Kaeli for suggesting Avonlea as our Baby Name of the Day.

Avonlea is, of course, the home of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s enduring heroine.  The pronunciation is three syllables: ah von LEE.

We love her for lots of reasons.  For one, Anne Shirley is a name nerd.  When she arrives as a young orphan, Anne tries to convince her new family to call her Cordelia.  When they refuse, she tacks the “e” on to Ann.

But it’s more than that: since the first novel’s 1908 publication, it has been translated into many languages, spawned sequels and stage and film adaptations, and sparked tourism on Prince Edward Island, the site that inspired so many of the fictional Avonlea locations.

There is a real village in Saskatchewan called Avonlea – but it was named after the books.

In the 1990s, a television series called Road to Avonlea was adapted from some of Montgomery’s other novels, the ones that started out with the arrival of Sara Stanley in Avonlea.

The television series seems to have inspired parents to consider Avonlea as a given name.  It debuted in 1990, and that’s the first year more than five American girls received the name.

Then again, the 1990s were the beginning of the place name trend.  Brittany and Chelsea were both in the Top 100.  Bethany was just outside.  Even without the television series, parents might have considered the place name.

Where did Avonlea come from in the first place?

It must be borrowed from Avon – an old word for river, and often the name of rivers, creating the slightly repetitive River Avon.  I would assume lea refers to a field, just like with so many ends in ley surnames.  So the pretty and picturesque Avonlea refers to a river by a field.  In a funny way, that makes Avonlea an almost generic place name.  Avonlea could be anywhere.

For years, I wanted to pronounce Avonlea with four syllables: ah von LEE ah.  But I think that’s probably just me.  With her three syllable, ends-in-ee sound, she fits right in with so many girls’ names, from modern inventions to traditional choices.

All of this makes Avonlea a shape-shifter – she feels like a charming choice from an earlier time, the gentle land of Anne.  But as a given name, she’s undeniably a modern innovation.

Factor in our affection for Ava and our embrace of place names and literary appellations, and the surprise is that more parents aren’t using Avonlea.  The similar-sounding Avalon, borrowed from Arthurian legend – is attracting attention, too.

On the one hand, calling your daughter Avonlea certainly marks you as a fan of Anne.  But it almost defies the imagination to think of someone perceiving the books as a negative reference.

In 2011, 64 parents chose the name for their daughter.  That’s still pretty – and well outside of the Top 1000 – but it is more common than you might guess.

In other words?  You might be meeting a baby Avonlea sooner than you’d guess.

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Original photo link: by dougtone via Flickr

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Comments

  1. Bonnie M says

    March 27, 2016 at 8:38 PM

    Avonlea Rose was the perfect name for our sweet two year old. It is as unique as she, and sounds both modern and vintage at the same time. We’ve had nothing but compliments on her beautiful name from people of all ages. Wherever she goes, she will be remembered. Never wanted a nickname. Avonlea is perfect as it is.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      March 28, 2016 at 7:49 AM

      Gorgeous name, Bonnie M!

      Reply
  2. Deanna says

    January 21, 2016 at 4:19 PM

    My 3 month old little girl is named Avonlea Ivy. I’ve loved the name since the show The Road to Avonlea on the Disney channel in the 90s. When I pronounce the name aloud, I get SO many compliments. When people see it spelled out, they are confused and want to say AVON-LEE-AH. We pronounce it Ah-vin/von-lee (if you say von fast enough it tends to sound like vin). I think in time, everyone will get the hang of the spelling and pronounciation. I’m really happy with her name!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Bryson says

    January 29, 2015 at 2:01 AM

    My daughter was born in 2011. Her name is Avonlea. She was one of the 64 named in this article. Pretty cool! And we get compliments all the time on the beauty of her name.

    Reply
    • Sarah Bryson says

      January 29, 2015 at 2:03 AM

      I knew when I was 17 that I would name my first daughter Avonlea.13 years later, I have an Avonlea…

      Reply
      • Deanna says

        January 21, 2016 at 4:21 PM

        Me too!

        Reply
  4. Avonlea says

    February 21, 2014 at 11:06 PM

    I am five years old and my name is Avonlea! It is pronounced A(short a) von lee. I love my name.

    Reply
  5. Doug T says

    December 17, 2013 at 12:24 AM

    My 5 year old is named Avonlea Jade. We decided on the name after/during our first trip to PEI. We have since gone back and taken Avonlea to Avonlea Village on the island. That was quite fun for her to see her name everywhere. I have yet to meet someone who dislikes the name, in fact People often go out of their way to tell us how much they love it and how pretty it is. We do give her nicknames. Av-ee, or Jadie from her middle name. It did take a little too grow on me, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. If you are on the fence about naming your daughter Avonlea, I say go for it.

    Reply
  6. Abby S says

    November 22, 2013 at 11:46 PM

    My daughter Avonlea Anne is 2, I have always loved the Anne books and always thought it would be a beautiful name for a little girl. We will forever need to teach people how to spell it and pronounce it, and where it came from. We don’t shorten it or give her a nick name. I wonder if she will be a fan someday, she likes watching the animated series, but is confused that shes not seeing a character associated with the name (shes very into Abby Cadabby on Sesame Street because momma is Abby. Lol) I’m very excited to see others who have named their daughters Avonlea as well, we plan to take a trip to PEI someday.

    Reply
    • Abby S says

      April 1, 2015 at 9:10 PM

      Now my second daughter is due VERY soon and we are at a complete loss for a name! How do you pick a name that holds up to the beauty and individuality of Avonlea Anne!?

      Reply
  7. Alison says

    October 27, 2013 at 9:08 PM

    My 1 year old daughter is named Avonlea. I love the name! It is hard for people to pronounce but once they hear it, it sticks. My husband and I had the name for 11 years before our daughter was born. We actually thought of it as we were shopping in Boise, Idaho and saw a store named Avonlea. Most people love her name!

    Reply
  8. Lizbeth says

    October 21, 2013 at 3:28 PM

    About 30 years ago I fell in love with the “anne of Green Gables” books. I read them endlessly and watched the PBS mini-series everytime it came on. I told my mother that when I had a daughter she would be named after Anne. Sixteen years ago I had a daughter and I never forgot my promise…she was immediately named Avonlea Cambria.
    I love that no one I knew had the name and still no one in the area does. It makes her unique. She is not a fan of the books, but someday I hope she will appreciate the decison I made.

    Reply
  9. Sachiko says

    June 28, 2013 at 1:21 AM

    Oh, I LOVE Avonlea and Marilla. I keep hearing in my head “Rilla-my-Rilla” from Rilla of Ingleside.

    Avonlea was short-listed for our latest daughter, until one of my friends said she knew a little Avonlea and my tween son invited over an older Avonlea. I know it’s still relatively uncommon–so far–but all two in Washington state were in my circle of acquaintance so I backburnered it. Alas. (we went with Cora Dove instead.)

    Avonlea does seem to be enjoying a small uptrend among Christian/traditional parents. I am still gunning for Marilla for a future daughter. Can we do that name next?

    Reply
  10. LR says

    June 27, 2013 at 9:55 PM

    I have a four-year-old daughter named Avonlea Jane, and she always gets complimented on her name, though we had a lot of mispronunciations in the beginning. It certainly does call you out as an Anne fan.

    Reply
    • Sam says

      February 5, 2014 at 4:59 PM

      My two year old daughter is also named Avonlea Jane and we absolutely love it.

      Reply
  11. Jeanette says

    June 16, 2013 at 10:40 PM

    Personally, I love this name. My 5 year old daughter is Avonleigh (pronounced the same as Avonlea). I spelled hers different, because though I love Anne of Green Gables, I didn’t name her for the story. She is complemented on her name almost daily!

    Reply
  12. Kimberley says

    May 17, 2013 at 5:54 PM

    I have to admit I love most of the names from Anne of Green Gables. Anne to Gilbert, Rilla and Diana. Love all of them. Even Josie as the mean girl has a name that could be popular. I even have a secret love of Maud (with or without the e; I can never decide).

    Reply
  13. Medr1e says

    May 16, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    Another lovely place name out of L.M. Montgomery’s books is the town of Carmody. (Do you remember when Gilbert gave up the Avonlea school for Anne and took the job at Carmody?) I could see that working as a given name as well.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      May 19, 2013 at 8:11 AM

      The TLC Show “What Not to Wear” – not sure if it is still on – featured a make-up artist named Carmindy. Not sure where her name came from, but I always liked it. So yes, Carmody could work.

      Reply
    • Sarah Bryson says

      January 29, 2015 at 2:02 AM

      My daughter is Avonlea Carmen

      Reply
  14. Patricia says

    May 15, 2013 at 10:55 PM

    I too pronounced the name as ‘ah von LEE ah’ for a long time.

    And I would agree that Anne is a more appealing name than Avonlea. I know Anne is ‘dated’ but I’ve always liked it and the Anne of Green Gables association is one of the reasons for that.

    Reply
  15. Angela 2 says

    May 15, 2013 at 10:42 PM

    I like Anne better than Avonlea. I also think Lea could be a pretty alternative for Leah. Rilla is pretty, too! I know it’s a nickname for Marilla, but I wonder if it could be a nickname for something else, too. Lorelai, maybe? April… Amarilis….Averil/Avery… Carol…Carolyn… Marilyn… Priscilla… guess there are a lot of potential Rillas out there! 🙂

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      May 16, 2013 at 6:23 AM

      I’ve heard Rilla for Priscilla, too – kind of love it!

      Reply
      • Angela 2 says

        May 17, 2013 at 5:36 PM

        Oooh, Rilla for Priscilla… I love that too! My grandmother was Priscilla, so that would be a sweet way to honor her. My grandfather always called her Cilla 🙂

        Reply
  16. Hettie says

    May 15, 2013 at 5:24 PM

    My friend was considering this one! She liked Avalee (pronounced Ahva not eh-va), but knew one personally and thought it muddled her feelings for it a bit. Avonlea was her compromise. Personally I greatly prefer it to the smushed sounding Avalee. I don’t know if it’s high on her list or anything, but it does have some serious potential in my opinion.

    Reply
  17. Julie says

    May 15, 2013 at 5:18 PM

    I loved the attention that L.M. Montgomery gave to the names and places in her books. (Now that I thinking about it, I kind of regret that we didn’t used Marilla for my daughter.) :\ Back on subject, the next town over is called Avon… so I’m not sure that Avonlea would work for us, but I think it’s adorable.

    It seems like names with the -von- sound is really popular with boys names: Giovani, Devonte, Jayvon, but with the connection to Anne and -ea ending Avonlea feels completely feminine. If the name was spelled Avonly or Avonley instead, I wonder if we’d be considering it masculine?

    Reply
  18. Kaeli says

    May 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    Thank you, Abby! This name is so beautiful and always gives me a calming and peaceful vibe – I didn’t realize until you wrote this what the meaning is, but that explains the peaceful sound!

    I still remember the moment it dawned on me that Avonlea could be a name. I was a brand new newlywed, at home putting laundry away with the TV on. There was a commercial about something to do with Anne – Road to Avonlea, I think – and I heard the regal voice of the announcer say “Anne of Avonlea” while a beautiful cursive script flashed across the screen…..and it just hit me. Avonlea! What a beautiful name! It feels like it’s meant to be. 🙂

    The funny thing is, I saw on Facebook that a friend of one of my friends has a daughter named Avonlea! I was so shocked. I’ve never known of anyone with this name, and just outside of my circle of friends there is a baby Avonlea!

    Reply
  19. Diana says

    May 15, 2013 at 11:56 AM

    I know a baby Avalon. I love it!

    Reply
  20. Abby says

    May 15, 2013 at 9:21 AM

    I like this name. It does fit with the trend of Ava and V names, but it’s such a beautiful tribute to the Anne books. Anne is a great role model for girls. Love it!

    Reply

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