Given name & surname · also Norman French
Avis
Avis is a variant of Ava. A secure original meaning for Ava has not been established.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Avis is a variant of Ava. A secure original meaning for Ava has not been established.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Norman French and Germanic naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
How it developed
Avis is a variant of Ava. The shared background comes through Ava: Ava may preserve a shortened Germanic compound name, or the modern form may have arisen independently.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Avis is a variant of Ava. The history of Ava gives this family its wider story. A ninth-century abbess was known as Ava or Avia. The link between that early use and the modern name is unclear; actress Ava Gardner later helped bring it wider attention.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Avis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,042
- 818 boys · 17,224 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 452 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #13,417 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −34%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 25% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 13,417 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 6.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 438 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,329 as a first name in 2020; 1,857 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Avis’s family of names
In Latin usage, Avis shares a linguistic root with the English form August. Avis has a related form in Ava. Avis is a form of Aveza.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Avis has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Avis
- Avice Landoneactress1908–1976
- Avis BunnageBritish actress (1923-1990)
- Avis McIntoshNew Zealand hurdler (1938–2025)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Avis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Adell
Adell is a unisex given name from Proto-Germanic.
>99% girls
Alda
“long-lived, old; wise; an elder”
>99% girls
Alberta
“noble and bright” · “one who is noble and bright”
>99% girls
Eunice
“one who conquers”
>99% girls
Erma
“one who is complete; universal”
>99% girls
Elois
“one who is famous in battle”
>99% girls
Elna
Elna is a feminine given name from Elin. It is used in Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Faroese.
>99% girls
Harriette
“ruler of the house”
>99% girls