Ava is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ava means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ava across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ava has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ava is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, possibly desired”. also linked to Latin words for bird and life.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 344,441 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 53,560 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6,761 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 1,951 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 9,209 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,533 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ava per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2007 (18,065/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (3,779/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2008 (695/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2010 (495/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2015 (141/yr).
Ava has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2007, when it ranked #15 nationally (given to 20,335 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Ivy · Eva · Iva · Eve · Ivah · Avah · Avi · Ova
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