Ava vs Grace
Ava and Gracecompared 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, Ava was ranked #32 and Grace #1 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #26 and Grace #4 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ava was ranked #8 and Grace #18 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #9 and Grace #25 among girls in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #18 and Grace #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #11 and Grace #13 among girls in Scotland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #143 and Grace #503 among girls in Norway.
Ava and Grace over time
Ava and Grace appear together in 6 published lists, across 158 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Grace reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Ava in 2. 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 2012, Ava moved ahead of Grace in England and Wales · Girls — #9 and #8 the year before became #6 and #14.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ava and Grace changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 2003 and 2025, ending at #18 and #11.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ava and Grace averaged 8.9 places apart, ending at #18 and #11.
- Mirrored each other
Over 21 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Ava rose about as far as Grace fell — from #93 and #8 in 2003 to #8 and #18 in 2023.
- Longest-running competitions
Ava and Grace were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 45 years, from 1978 to 2025, ending at #26 and #4.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Ava #3 in 2017, Grace #7 in 2018.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls45 shared years, 1978–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Grace in 36.
Highest recorded here: Ava #1 in 2008, Grace #1 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #26, Grace #4.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Grace in 16.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2018, Grace #1 in 2006.
The order changed in 2012: Ava moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #9 and #8; by 2012 that had become #6 and #14.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #9, Grace #25.
Northern Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1998–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Grace in 25.
Highest recorded here: Ava #9 in 2016, Grace #1 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #32, Grace #1.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls23 shared years, 2003–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Grace in 6.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2017, Grace #7 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #18, Grace #11.
New Zealand · Girls21 shared years, 2003–2023
Ava held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Grace in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ava #5 in 2017, Grace #6 in 2011.
The order changed in 2016: Ava moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #15 and #12; by 2016 that had become #10 and #18.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ava #8, Grace #18.
Norway · Girls15 shared years, 2002–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Grace in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #104 in 2020, Grace #354 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #143, Grace #503.
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 | Grace |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | Grace, favour (the English virtue word, used directly as a name). |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | English (virtue name), from Latin gratia |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | /ˈɡɹeɪs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Gracie |
| 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) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #4 (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 Grace is recorded with a English (virtue name), from Latin gratia origin.
- Ava and Grace both have 2 syllables.
- Ava's recorded meaning differs from Grace'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 Grace 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
Grace
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #393 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2006 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls