| Ava | Grace | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” | grace |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AY-vuh | GRAYSS |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2007 (18,053) | 2003 (12,781) |
| In 2025 | 7,732 | 5,127 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ava | Grace |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 63,350 | 31,533 |
| 2010s | 155,879 | 73,058 |
| 2000s | 104,539 | 110,720 |
| 1990s | 4,207 | 39,872 |
| 1980s | 1,416 | 11,796 |
| 1970s | 1,319 | 6,096 |
| 1960s | 2,342 | 11,213 |
| 1950s | 4,237 | 15,929 |
| 1940s | 1,346 | 19,370 |
| 1930s | 1,180 | 31,357 |
| 1920s | 1,590 | 60,060 |
| 1910s | 1,401 | 57,973 |
| 1900s | 533 | 26,927 |
| 1890s | 479 | 23,804 |
| 1880s | 279 | 15,227 |
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.”
Directly from the English word grace, from Latin 'gratia' meaning favour, thanks, or divine grace. A virtue name popularised by the Puritans; the root of nearly all 'grace'-meaning names of Latin origin.
Ava is more popular than Grace today: about 7,732 US babies were given the name Ava in 2025, compared with 5,127 named Grace.
Ava means Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” (Latin origin), while Grace means grace (latin origin).
In US records, Ava first appears in 1880 and Grace in 1880, so Ava has the longer recorded history.