Girl's name
Ava
Say it AY-vuh
Roots in Hebrew, Irish and Germanic life (via Eva); or beauty, radiance (via Aoife)
2 syllables
Where Ava is loved, common and rare
Loved in Ontario, British Columbia and two more places. Common across the UK, Ireland, France and 12 more places. Rare in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and five more places.
1 in 108 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Ontario 6thBritish Columbia 6thEngland and Wales 11th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 29 of the 40 official lists, among them Ontario (6th), British Columbia (6th) and England and Wales (11th).
Show all 29 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario province | 6th 2024 | 395 | about 1 in 138 |
| British Columbia province | 6th 2023 | 115 | about 1 in 104 |
| Victoria state | 10th 2025 | 234 | rank only |
| England and Wales | 11th 2025 | 1,611 | 1 in 157 |
| Scotland | 13th 2025 | 166 | 1 in 108 |
| New South Wales state | 18th 2025 | 227 | rank only |
| New Zealand | 20th 2025 | 104 | rank only |
| Northern Ireland | 20th 2025 | 59 | 1 in 123 |
| South Australia state | 20th 2025 | 50 | rank only |
| Ireland | 26th 2025 | 143 | 1 in 148 |
| France | 40th 2025 | 1,075 | 1 in 267 |
| Queensland state | 40th 2025 | 113 | rank only |
| Berlin city | 45th 2023 | 56 | about 1 in 259 |
| Munich city | 46th 2025 | 26 | about 1 in 161 |
| Cologne city | 48th 2023 | 24 | about 1 in 256 |
| Switzerland | 52nd 2025 | 116 | 1 in 293 |
| Slovenia | 52nd 2025 | 36 | about 1 in 184 |
| Sweden | 121st 2025 | 78 | about 1 in 515 |
| Norway | 143rd 2025 | 36 | 1 in 605 |
| The Netherlands | 149th 2025 | 104 | about 1 in 587 |
| Austria | 183rd 2025 | 33 | 1 in 1,082 |
| Quebec province | 198th 2025 | 29 | about 1 in 897 |
| Israel אווה | 330th 2024 | 40 | about 1 in 1,962 |
| Poland | 583rd 2025 | 3 | 1 in 39,929 |
| Italy | 1025th 2024 | 9 | 1 in 19,908 |
| Nova Scotia province | 4th 2025 | 25 | rank only |
| Leipzig city | 60th 2025 | 9 | about 1 in 292 |
| Bonn city | 76th 2025 | 8 | about 1 in 377 |
| Rostock city | 92nd 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 492 |
Rare, below the listed names: Spain, Catalonia and Hungary.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); NISRA (Northern Ireland); SA Attorney-General's Department, Births, Deaths and Marriages (data.sa.gov.au) (South Australia); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Nova Scotia Vital Statistics (data.novascotia.ca) (Nova Scotia); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock). How we count, and every source
About the name
Ava has more than one plausible root, and each gives it a different meaning. It can be read as a variant of Eva, which goes back to a Hebrew root meaning 'to live', so 'life'. It can equally be an anglicised form of the Irish Aoife, possibly from a word for 'beauty' or 'radiance'. A third line traces it to an old Germanic element, avi, whose sense is unknown.
Read the restShow less
Two soft syllables, AY-vuh, make it quick to say and hard to misspell. Eva is its closest relative, and Avita and Awa are forms found in other languages.
Ava climbed fast in Canada, peaking around 2007, and it is still in the top ten in Ontario, British Columbia and the Australian state of Victoria. It is well used in France, Switzerland and Slovenia too, although in most countries it has begun to ease back from its high point.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- AY-vuh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
life (via Eva); or beauty, radiance (via Aoife)
- Origin
- Hebrew, Irish and Germanic
- Other spellings
- Eva
- Avita
- Awa
Etymology
Three sources: a variant of Eva (Hebrew, from a root "to live"); an anglicization of Irish Aoife, possibly from aoibh "beauty, radiance"; or Germanic, from a root *avi of uncertain meaning.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 4 of 27 regions, falling in 15.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Scotland | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| Northern Ireland | 9 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 32 | 20 |
| Ireland | 3 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 26 | 26 |
| Ontario | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | |
| British Columbia | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Nova Scotia | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 4 | |
| New South Wales | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 18 |
| Victoria | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
| Queensland | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 40 |
| South Australia | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 20 |
| New Zealand | 10 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 20 |
| Quebec | 116 | 130 | 142 | 156 | 146 | 160 | 120 | 124 | 139 | 198 |
| France | 139 | 132 | 123 | 115 | 79 | 52 | 46 | 38 | 40 | 40 |
| The Netherlands | 149 | 162 | 167 | 204 | 162 | 148 | 104 | 127 | 149 | |
| Austria | 242 | 226 | 240 | 220 | 196 | 182 | 148 | 156 | 150 | 183 |
| Switzerland | 69 | 66 | 69 | 68 | 57 | 39 | 48 | 55 | 40 | 52 |
| Berlin | 57 | 48 | 37 | 50 | 31 | 36 | 31 | 45 | ||
| Munich | 66 | 56 | 57 | 79 | 46 | 53 | 83 | 45 | 59 | 46 |
| Cologne | 64 | 63 | 73 | 64 | 32 | 36 | 21 | 48 | ||
| Bonn | 55 | 111 | 85 | 59 | 41 | 54 | 87 | 41 | 42 | 76 |
| Leipzig | 108 | 55 | 100 | 85 | 74 | 56 | 74 | 85 | 143 | 60 |
| Rostock | 75 | 66 | 134 | 141 | 62 | 197 | 47 | 49 | 92 | |
| Norway | 121 | 123 | 107 | 139 | 104 | 138 | 128 | 105 | 134 | 143 |
| Sweden | 190 | 125 | 131 | 136 | 129 | 123 | 115 | 111 | 121 | 121 |
| Catalonia | 543 | 412 | 361 | 469 | 601 | |||||
| Italy | 841 | 950 | 1025 | |||||||
| Poland | 360 | 491 | 402 | 603 | 361 | 422 | 570 | 612 | 583 | |
| Slovenia | 99 | 80 | 67 | 44 | 56 | 44 | 38 | 48 | 50 | 52 |
| Israel | 210 | 216 | 260 | 251 | 291 | 253 | 269 | 316 | 330 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | 1,611 | 636.1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 1,774 | 687.6 |
| 2023 | 6 | 2,050 | 799.0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 2,293 | 870.2 |
| 2021 | 4 | 2,576 | 940.0 |
| 2020 | 4 | 2,679 | 998.1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2,946 | 1,051.9 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3,110 | 1,078.8 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3,296 | 1,102.0 |
| 2016 | 5 | 3,288 | 1,070.5 |
| 2015 | 5 | 3,417 | 1,109.6 |
| 2014 | 6 | 3,174 | 1,035.0 |
| 2013 | 4 | 3,579 | 1,160.3 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3,779 | 1,173.4 |
| 2011 | 9 | 3,624 | 1,127.9 |
| 2010 | 11 | 3,438 | 1,070.9 |
| 2009 | 12 | 2,832 | 903.7 |
| 2008 | 21 | 2,317 | 733.8 |
| 2007 | 38 | 1,377 | 449.8 |
| 2006 | 60 | 966 | 322.8 |
| 2005 | 82 | 657 | 227.9 |
| 2004 | 153 | 346 | 121.0 |
| 2003 | 164 | 295 | 105.9 |
| 2002 | 204 | 214 | 80.0 |
| 2001 | 205 | 194 | 72.4 |
| 2000 | 291 | 129 | 47.2 |
| 1999 | 429 | 70 | 24.8 |
| 1998 | 530 | 51 | 17.6 |
| 1997 | 500 | 55 | 18.8 |
| 1996 | 753 | 30 | 10.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Ava in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2012. First recorded in 1953. Her peak year there: 2007, at 1,619.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Ava per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2007 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Ava
1 in 132 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 146 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Ava. Same first letter as Ava.
1 in 175 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 126 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava. Same first letter as Ava.
1 in 208 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 202 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
1 in 70 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Ava.
Middle names for Ava
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Ava Grace
2-1 beats · initials AG
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Ava Olivia
2-4 beats · initials AO · Ava slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Ava slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Ava Sophia
2-3 beats · initials AS
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Ava Maria
2-3 beats · initials AM
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Ava Rose
2-1 beats · initials AR
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Ava Emily
2-3 beats · initials AE · Ava slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Ava slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Ava Julia
2-3 beats · initials AJ
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Ava Miriam
2-3 beats · initials AM
Changes the beat after Ava: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Ava
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 208 in Northern Ireland
97% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 109 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 189 in Ireland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 141 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 109 in Ireland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 197 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
1 in 188 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Ava across countries and decades.
Famous people named Ava
Ava Gardner, Ava Max, Ava DuVernay, Ava and Ava Michelle.
Show all 5Show less
-
American actress (1922–1990)
-
American singer and songwriter (born 1994)
-
American film director born 1972
-
First known German poet 1060 to 1127
-
American actress (born 2002)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Ava
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Ava?
Her best rank is No. 6 in British Columbia in 2023, about 1 in 104 girls. She is in the published lists of 29 of our 40 regions.
What does Ava mean?
Wiktionary glosses Ava as "life (via Eva); or beauty, radiance (via Aoife)".
How do you pronounce Ava?
AY-vuh, with 2 syllables.
Is Ava getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 4 of 27 regions, falling in 15.
Which sister names go with Ava?
The deck's top five sisters for Ava: Maya, Isabella, Amelia, Matilda and Hannah. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.