Namewise

Ava

femaleDisputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve

Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence.

Origin: Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1978 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Republic of Ireland in 2008. See regions.

Ava: Recorded since 1978, it reached #1 in 2008, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

AY-vuh/ˈeɪvə/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve
Meaning
Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence.
Pronunciation
AY-vuh
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
female
Language family
Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve

Popularity

Rising

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Girls rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #3 to #753.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#3#753
View as table
England and Wales · Girls rank by year
YearRank
1996#753
1997#500
1998#530
1999#429
2000#291
2001#205
2002#204
2003#164
2004#153
2005#82
2006#60
2007#38
2008#21
2009#12
2010#11
2011#9
2012#6
2013#4
2014#6
2015#5
2016#5
2017#4
2018#3
2019#4
2020#4
2021#4
2022#4
2023#6
2024#9
2025#11

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 45 of the 48 years from 1978 to 2025.

In 2025: #11 among girls in England and Wales, #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, #26 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #143 among girls in Norway.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 19782025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Ava is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Ava, between 1978 and 2025, in 45 of those 48 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Republic of Ireland1978–202545#1 in 2008
England and Wales1996–202530#3 in 2018
Northern Ireland1998–202425#9 in 2016
Norway1999–202526#104 in 2020
New South Wales, Australia2003–202523#3 in 2017
New Zealand2003–202321#5 in 2017
Scotland20241#11 in 2024

Its high point came 16 years earlier in Republic of Ireland (2008) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

AY-vuh/ˈeɪvə/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Ava Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Ava in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.