Ava vs Freya
Ava and Freyacompared 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.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #11 and Freya #3 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #9 and Freya #7 among girls in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ava was ranked #8 and Freya #31 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #32 and Freya #10 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #18 and Freya #49 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #26 and Freya #25 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #143 and Freya #147 among girls in Norway.
Ava and Freya over time
Ava and Freya appear together in 6 published lists, across 125 years of shared records. Ava held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Freya in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Ava reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 6 of those lists, and Freya in none. 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 2020, Freya moved ahead of Ava in Northern Ireland · Girls — #15 and #16 the year before became #13 and #10.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Ava and Freya averaged 33.3 places apart, ending at #32 and #10.
- Longest-running competitions
Ava and Freya were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 33 years, from 1990 to 2025, ending at #26 and #25.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1990–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Freya in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ava #1 in 2008, Freya #12 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #26, Freya #25.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Freya in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2018, Freya #5 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #9, Freya #7.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 2002–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Freya in 5.
Highest recorded here: Ava #9 in 2016, Freya #9 in 2022.
The order changed in 2020: Freya moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #15 and #16; by 2020 that had become #13 and #10.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #32, Freya #10.
Norway · Girls20 shared years, 2005–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Freya in 1.
Highest recorded here: Ava #104 in 2020, Freya #115 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #143, Freya #147.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls10 shared years, 2016–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Freya in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2017, Freya #38 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #18, Freya #49.
New Zealand · Girls10 shared years, 2014–2023
Ava held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Freya in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #5 in 2017, Freya #22 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ava #8, Freya #31.
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 | Ava | Freya |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | Commonly interpreted as 'lady' or 'noblewoman'. |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | Old Norse |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | /ˈfreɪə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Freyja, Freja |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (2025) | Scotland · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Ava is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve origin, while Freya is recorded with a Old Norse origin.
- Ava has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Freya.
- Ava's recorded meaning differs from Freya's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Ava a "medium" Data Confidence level and Freya a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Freya
Popularity journey
First recorded1987
First recorded at #488 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1987 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2024–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Scotland, in 2025 (recorded 2024–2025).
Scotland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #49 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls