The baby name Ava combines a stylish sound with plenty of appealing associations. No surprise it’s become one of the most popular choices for twenty-first century parents.
Thanks to Meredith for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE BABY NAME AVA MEAN?
Buckle up, because the list of possible meanings and origins for Ava is long.
IS AVA A FORM OF CHAVA OR EVE?
The baby name Ava is sometimes considered another spelling of Eva or Eve.
That might sound like a stretch, but actually, the Hebrew Chava is the modern equivalent of Eve, which means life or breath.
Yes, that Eve, from the Book of Genesis.
It’s worth noting that Eva in some languages sounds exactly like Ava. So it’s possible to mix up Ava with Eva and Evie and so on.
GERMANIC AVA
The next possible option is Germanic, from the element avi or awi. The meaning is uncertain, but one theory links it to a word meaning desired.
What we know for certain: the baby name Ava appears in the history books steadily during the Middle Ages.
During the ninth century, the niece or daughter of Pepin II, King of the Franks, was cured of blindness by Saint Rainfredis. In thanksgiving, she became a Benedictine nun and abbess of a convent in Belgium. We know her as Saint Ava.
Around the year 1100, the poet Ava of Melk – also known as Frau Ava – composed a series of religious poems. She’s the first named female author in the German language.
Elaborations of Ava, like Avelina and Aveline, are found in use, too.
AVA AS A PERSIAN NAME
In Persian, the name means voice.
The baby name Ava also occurs in Persian, where it means voice.
Along with choices like Leila, the baby name Ava is an obvious way to blend American and Persian culture in a single name.
AVA AND AVIS
Some connect the baby name Ava to the Latin avis – bird.
That’s almost certainly folk etymology, but with plenty of baby name inspiration coming from choices like Wren and Raven now, it’s an appealing meaning.
AVA AT MIDCENTURY
From 1880 through 1972, the baby name Ava ranked in the United States’ Top 1000 most popular names for girls every year.
It was never popular, though.
Notable figures include:
- The daughter of John Jacob Astor IV, American socialite Ava Astor, was born in 1902. Her unusual name came from her mother, born Ava Lowle Willing in 1868.
- The daughter of actor and dancer Fred Astaire was named Ava in 1942.
- During the 1960s, popular television series Family Affair gave the name to youngest daughter Ava Elizabeth – but she was known as Buffy.
Another factor during the midcentury helped boost the name’s profile: actress Ava Gardner.
AVA GARDNER
Born in North Carolina way back in 1922, Ava was the youngest of seven kids. Maybe her parents had run out of favorite names by then. The baby name Ava ranked in the 500s in 1922 – not unknown, but far from the most common names.
She headed to Hollywood, and landed a contract on the strength of her good looks. Her first step in Hollywood was shedding a heavy Southern drawl.
It worked.
By the 1940s, Gardner’s career was soaring. During the 1950s, she played a duchess, a baroness, and eventually Queen Guinevere herself. In the 1960s, a later role promoted her to Empress.
Gardner earned an Oscar nomination in 1953.
She also made headlines for her marriage to singer Frank Sinatra. Sinatra left his wife Nancy for Ava. It was her third trip down the aisle. At the time, their relationship was considered scandalous.
But even before the press dubbed Ava a homewrecker, it appeared that the celebrity wouldn’t increase the baby name Ava’s use, even if she did make it more familiar.
CELEBRITY FAVORITE
The baby name Ava left the US Top 1000 popular names entirely in the 1970s.
But then something started to happen.
Ava edged its way back into the Top 1000, and then a series of high-profile parents chose it – again and again:
- Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora were among the first, giving the name to a daughter in 1997.
- By 1999, when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s welcomed their Ava Elizabeth, the name had soared to into the Top 300.
- By the time Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness welcomed Ava Eliot in 2005, the name had broken in the Top Ten, ranking #9 that year. There are dozens of high-profile Avas born in the same time frame.
Indie rock band Smashing Pumpkins’ 1998 single “Ava Adore” lent the name some edge. A Nosferatu-inspired video takes the Ava in a different direction. The name’s rapid rise in the late 1990s and early 2000s suggests that maybe the song and the celebrities each played a part in the name’s rapid rise.
Ava entered the US Top 100 in 2002. Other famous Avas include:
- American filmmaker Ava Duvernay
- Singer Ava Max of “Sweet But Psycho” fame
- Actress Ava Kolker
- One of the Busby quintuplets of OutDaughtered fame is Ava
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME AVA?
The baby name Ava peaked at #3 from 2016 to 2020.
As of 2024, it’s fallen slightly, to #9.
But that still makes the baby name Ava an established Top Ten go-to in the United States, and among the most popular choices.
Along with Olivia, Emma, Sophia, and Isabella, the baby name Ava is defining name of this generation. It’s also quite close to fellow mini-name and Top 100 staple Mia, a mix of simplicity and style.
The name has also reached Top 25 or even Top Ten in other English-speaking countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. It’s also among the most common names in several European countries.
For a while it was the most popular name at just three letters, though that title now belongs to Mia.
MODERN MINI
With multiple meanings and origins, the baby name Ava checks the box for versatility.
It’s playful and sophisticated, edgy and glamorous. It’s easy to see how it could be the perfect name for parents trying to compromise between different styles.
The baby name Ava combines a long history of use with plenty of modern energy.
And while it’s still enjoying the heights of Top Ten popularity, the name’s appeal remains strong. It’s easy to imagine Ava as a baby or teenager or adult, a beautiful name across every phase of life.
What do you think of the baby name Ava?
First published on September 29, 2010, this post was revised and re-published on August 31, 2021 and May 30, 2025.
I know a girl named Avalynn, her nickname is Ava. Her younger sister’s name is Gracelynn.
Love the name Ava and love Ava Gardner but my neice is Eva so can’t call my baby Ava – pity!!
Ava — so hot right now! The name in and of itself is rather nice, but I can’t in good consciousness recommend the name to anyone because, as your post and all the previous comments have said, it’s just way too popular. I’m friends with a woman who takes care of her niece Ava while at the same time looking after her daughter Evie. Both kids are around 22 months old and I can’t help thinking how frequently their names will get mixed up with the other “v” names in school.
Like everyone says – Ava is pretty, but popular. On top of the Avas (AY vah) and the Eves and the Evas (EE vah), and all the Ava variants mentioned, I’ve run across more than one child with the nn Eva said EH vah (half way between EEvah and AYvah)… one of Italian heritage with the full name Evangelia (I think) and another name Evelyn. That V is super-popular right now! Pretty, but I’d (personally) probably steer clear to avoid the masses and confusion.
I just took a trip to the grocery store during that witching hour between school pick-up and suppertime. It seemed like every little girl was named either Ava or Lila. Ava is a very pretty, but it’s sooo popular and doesn’t have any obvious nicknames, so she’ll always be known as Ava Lastinitial.
Beautiful name, and I adore Ms. Gardner, but I just can’t in good conscience name a girl Ava these days. It’s too popular.
I am surprised you haven’t already done Ava 🙂
I can see the appeal, definitely, but the last 10 years she has gotten too popular for my tastes.