| Amanda | Ava | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Worthy of love | Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” |
| Origin | latin | Latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-MAN-duh | AY-vuh |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1987 (41,786) | 2007 (18,053) |
| In 2025 | 601 | 7,732 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amanda | Ava |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,904 | 63,350 |
| 2010s | 11,081 | 155,879 |
| 2000s | 46,660 | 104,539 |
| 1990s | 191,132 | 4,207 |
| 1980s | 369,727 | 1,416 |
| 1970s | 123,920 | 1,319 |
| 1960s | 17,176 | 2,342 |
| 1950s | 5,471 | 4,237 |
| 1940s | 2,759 | 1,346 |
| 1930s | 1,965 | 1,180 |
| 1920s | 3,125 | 1,590 |
| 1910s | 3,643 | 1,401 |
| 1900s | 2,923 | 533 |
| 1890s | 3,872 | 479 |
| 1880s | 3,280 | 279 |
A literary coinage from the Latin gerundive amanda, 'lovable, worthy of love, deserving to be loved', from amare 'to love'. Built directly on the root am-.
A short, much-loved name whose origin is debated — linked variously to “life” (via Eve), to a Germanic root, and to the Latin avis, “bird.”
Ava is more popular than Amanda today: about 7,732 US babies were given the name Ava in 2025, compared with 601 named Amanda.
Amanda means Worthy of love (latin origin), while Ava means Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” (Latin origin).
In US records, Amanda first appears in 1880 and Ava in 1880, so Amanda has the longer recorded history.