Ava

Meaning and origin of Ava

Ava is often said to mean “uncertain, possibly a form of Eve”; the origin is uncertain, though it is usually linked to Germanic and Hebrew roots.

The roots of Ava are genuinely uncertain. It appears in medieval Germanic records, where it may have been a short form of longer names containing an element of unclear meaning. One early bearer was Ava of Melk, an Austrian religious poet of the twelfth century and one of the first women known by name to have written in German. Some link Ava to Eve, "life", and others to the Latin avis, "bird", though neither connection is proven. Actress Ava Gardner gave the name Hollywood glamour in the mid-twentieth century, and modern parents embraced it for its brevity and vintage polish. With three letters and two soft syllables, Ava sounds elegant without feeling fussy.

Other spellings with the same sound: Eva.

Gender, sound and spelling

In the US it is used almost only for girls.

Ava is usually pronounced AY-vuh, with two syllables. It has three letters, starts with A and ends in “-va”. Names that sound the same but are spelled differently include Eva.