Aoife vs Ava
Aoife and Avacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #4 and Ava #32 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #220 and Ava #9 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #87 and Ava #11 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Aoife was ranked #34 and Ava #26 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Aoife and Ava over time
Aoife and Ava appear together in 3 published lists, across 99 years of shared records. Aoife held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Ava in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Aoife reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Ava in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2014, Ava moved ahead of Aoife in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #6 and #7 the year before became #10 and #5.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Aoife and Ava changed places 4 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1998 and 2024, ending at #4 and #32.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Aoife and Ava averaged 51.0 places apart, ending at #4 and #32.
- Longest-running competitions
Aoife and Ava were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 45 years, from 1978 to 2025, ending at #34 and #26.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls45 shared years, 1978–2025
Aoife held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Ava in 18.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #1 in 2000, Ava #1 in 2008.
The order changed in 2014: Ava moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #6 and #7; by 2014 that had become #10 and #5.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aoife #34, Ava #26.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Aoife held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Ava in 25.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #167 in 2015, Ava #3 in 2018.
The order changed in 2000: Ava moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #323 and #429; by 2000 that had become #313 and #291.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aoife #220, Ava #9.
Northern Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1998–2024
Aoife held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Ava in 3.
Highest recorded here: Aoife #4 in 2024, Ava #9 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Aoife #4, Ava #32.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Aoife | Ava |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈeɪvə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #34 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ava has a recorded origin (Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve); Aoife does not have one recorded yet.
- Aoife and Ava both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ava; Aoife doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Aoife
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #206 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #34 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Ava
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #522 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 1978–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls