Ava
Say it: AY-va/ˈeɪvə/
Girl3 letters2 syllables
#26
in Ireland (2025)
#27 with spellings combined
143
babies in 2025
#1
best rank (2008)
9,209
babies since 1978
Down 24
10-year rank change
Ava through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 143 | #27 |
| 2024 | 152 | #26 |
| 2023 | 207 | #15 |
| 2022 | 269 | #7 |
| 2021 | 272 | #8 |
| 2020 | 297 | #5 |
| 2019 | 313 | #7 |
| 2018 | 308 | #10 |
| 2017 | 315 | #9 |
| 2016 | 388 | #3 |
| 2015 | 421 | #3 |
| 2014 | 404 | #5 |
| 2013 | 410 | #7 |
| 2012 | 440 | #8 |
| 2011 | 446 | #8 |
| 2010 | 501 | #6 |
| 2009 | 635 | #2 |
| 2008 | 695 | #1 |
| 2007 | 555 | #6 |
| 2006 | 463 | #6 |
| 2005 | 339 | #18 |
| 2004 | 308 | #18 |
| 2003 | 255 | #24 |
| 2002 | 216 | #26 |
| 2001 | 137 | #41 |
| 2000 | 103 | #44 |
| 1999 | 77 | #60 |
| 1998 | 41 | #88 |
| 1997 | 21 | #213 |
| 1996 | 6 | #393 |
| 1995 | 5 | #417 |
| 1994 | 6 | #374 |
| 1993 | 7 | #356 |
| 1992 | 7 | #364 |
| 1991 | 4 | #457 |
| 1990 | 7 | #357 |
| 1989 | 3 | #503 |
| 1988 | 4 | #442 |
| 1986 | 3 | #521 |
| 1985 | 4 | #456 |
| 1984 | 4 | #459 |
| 1983 | 6 | #401 |
| 1982 | 5 | #425 |
| 1981 | 4 | #471 |
| 1978 | 3 | #522 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Ava mean?
Uncertain
English, with several possible roots: a form of Eva, an English form of Aoife, or an old Germanic name.
Say it right
AYva
The story of Ava
Ava has more than one possible origin, so its meaning is uncertain. It can be a form of Eva, the Latin form of Eve. It has also been used as an English form of the Irish Aoife. And there was an early Germanic name Ava, from a root whose meaning is not known.
The name took off across the English-speaking world in the 2000s, and Ireland was no exception.
Ava first appears in the CSO records in 1978, but it stayed rare until the late 1990s. Then it rose fast. It reached number 1 in 2008, when 695 girls were given the name, and it stayed in the top 10 every year from 2006 to 2022. In 2025 it was number 26 in the CSO’s table. In Northern Ireland its best year was 2016, when it ranked 9th.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Ava (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Ava (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland, full name list 1997-2025
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Ava | 143 | 9,209 |
In Northern Ireland
#20 in 2025 with 59 babies. Best rank #9 (2016); 2,010 babies since 1998.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.