Girl nameCurrently #9 in the USFalling
Ava
AY-vuh//ˈeɪvə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20073 lettersStarts with A
Meaning & origin
Life, or bird
Ava's origin is debated: it may be a short form of Germanic names beginning with 'avi', or connected to the Latin word for bird, 'avis', and it also echoes Eve's association with life. Simple and vowel-rich, it moved from rarity to the top of the popularity charts in the early 2000s, boosted in part by actress Ava Gardner's earlier fame.
Ava's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Ava |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 13 |
| 1881 | 18 |
| 1882 | 21 |
| 1883 | 29 |
| 1884 | 32 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 27 |
| 1887 | 36 |
| 1888 | 41 |
| 1889 | 44 |
| 1890 | 49 |
| 1891 | 41 |
| 1892 | 54 |
| 1893 | 46 |
| 1894 | 58 |
| 1895 | 54 |
| 1896 | 38 |
| 1897 | 42 |
| 1898 | 53 |
| 1899 | 44 |
| 1900 | 65 |
| 1901 | 46 |
| 1902 | 40 |
| 1903 | 55 |
| 1904 | 50 |
| 1905 | 53 |
| 1906 | 62 |
| 1907 | 55 |
| 1908 | 58 |
| 1909 | 49 |
| 1910 | 79 |
| 1911 | 86 |
| 1912 | 98 |
| 1913 | 112 |
| 1914 | 156 |
| 1915 | 171 |
| 1916 | 186 |
| 1917 | 180 |
| 1918 | 174 |
| 1919 | 159 |
| 1920 | 184 |
| 1921 | 177 |
| 1922 | 160 |
| 1923 | 173 |
| 1924 | 157 |
| 1925 | 164 |
| 1926 | 164 |
| 1927 | 147 |
| 1928 | 140 |
| 1929 | 135 |
| 1930 | 142 |
| 1931 | 136 |
| 1932 | 145 |
| 1933 | 119 |
| 1934 | 129 |
| 1935 | 109 |
| 1936 | 113 |
| 1937 | 114 |
| 1938 | 83 |
| 1939 | 90 |
| 1940 | 78 |
| 1941 | 89 |
| 1942 | 132 |
| 1943 | 109 |
| 1944 | 91 |
| 1945 | 80 |
| 1946 | 131 |
| 1947 | 199 |
| 1948 | 197 |
| 1949 | 240 |
| 1950 | 299 |
| 1951 | 384 |
| 1952 | 388 |
| 1953 | 462 |
| 1954 | 540 |
| 1955 | 508 |
| 1956 | 509 |
| 1957 | 432 |
| 1958 | 378 |
| 1959 | 337 |
| 1960 | 327 |
| 1961 | 262 |
| 1962 | 263 |
| 1963 | 274 |
| 1964 | 268 |
| 1965 | 227 |
| 1966 | 199 |
| 1967 | 176 |
| 1968 | 177 |
| 1969 | 171 |
| 1970 | 177 |
| 1971 | 161 |
| 1972 | 153 |
| 1973 | 109 |
| 1974 | 130 |
| 1975 | 127 |
| 1976 | 96 |
| 1977 | 103 |
| 1978 | 132 |
| 1979 | 133 |
| 1980 | 113 |
| 1981 | 123 |
| 1982 | 109 |
| 1983 | 107 |
| 1984 | 146 |
| 1985 | 134 |
| 1986 | 167 |
| 1987 | 177 |
| 1988 | 167 |
| 1989 | 175 |
| 1990 | 198 |
| 1991 | 236 |
| 1992 | 239 |
| 1993 | 286 |
| 1994 | 276 |
| 1995 | 279 |
| 1996 | 285 |
| 1997 | 362 |
| 1998 | 831 |
| 1999 | 1,215 |
| 2000 | 1,796 |
| 2001 | 2,544 |
| 2002 | 3,751 |
| 2003 | 6,289 |
| 2004 | 8,680 |
| 2005 | 13,635 |
| 2006 | 16,965 |
| 2007 | 18,065 |
| 2008 | 17,066 |
| 2009 | 15,900 |
| 2010 | 15,459 |
| 2011 | 15,531 |
| 2012 | 15,568 |
| 2013 | 15,288 |
| 2014 | 15,740 |
| 2015 | 16,429 |
| 2016 | 16,358 |
| 2017 | 16,028 |
| 2018 | 15,038 |
| 2019 | 14,544 |
| 2020 | 13,208 |
| 2021 | 12,875 |
| 2022 | 11,114 |
| 2023 | 9,729 |
| 2024 | 8,662 |
Ava through the decades
- Ava peaked in 2007, when 18,065 babies were named Ava in the US.
- The 2010s were Ava's strongest decade, averaging 15,598 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Ava has fallen 16% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Ava currently ranks #9 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Ava
Variants & spellings
AvahAiva
Famous people named Ava
- Ava Gardner — actress