Ava vs Poppy
Ava and Poppycompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #9 and Poppy #8 among girls in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ava was ranked #8 and Poppy #36 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #11 and Poppy #24 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #18 and Poppy #45 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #26 and Poppy #105 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #32 and Poppy #47 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Ava and Poppy over time
Ava and Poppy appear together in 5 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Ava held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Poppy 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 4 of those lists, Poppy 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 2007, Ava moved ahead of Poppy in Northern Ireland · Girls — #81 and #81 the year before became #46 and #79.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ava and Poppy changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #9 and #8.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Ava and Poppy averaged 30.3 places apart, ending at #32 and #47.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Poppy in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2018, Poppy #5 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #9, Poppy #8.
Republic of Ireland · Girls29 shared years, 1990–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Poppy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #1 in 2008, Poppy #89 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #26, Poppy #105.
Northern Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1998–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Poppy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #9 in 2016, Poppy #27 in 2021.
The order changed in 2007: Ava moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #81 and #81; by 2007 that had become #46 and #79.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #32, Poppy #47.
New Zealand · Girls19 shared years, 2005–2023
Ava held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Poppy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #5 in 2017, Poppy #27 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ava #8, Poppy #36.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls17 shared years, 2009–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Poppy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2017, Poppy #44 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #18, Poppy #45.
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 | Poppy |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | Taken directly from the English word for the red flower. |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | English, from Old English popæg, ultimately from Latin papaver |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | /ˈpɒpi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #45 (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 | medium |
What the data shows
- Ava is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve origin, while Poppy is recorded with a English, from Old English popæg, ultimately from Latin papaver origin.
- Ava and Poppy both have 2 syllables.
- Ava's recorded meaning differs from Poppy's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Poppy
Popularity journey
First recorded1990
First recorded at #517 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1990 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in England and Wales, in 2014 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #45 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls