| Ava | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” | Victory |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AY-vuh | vik-TOR-ee-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2007 (18,053) | 1993 (12,925) |
| In 2025 | 7,732 | 4,027 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ava | Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 63,350 | 27,560 |
| 2010s | 155,879 | 71,017 |
| 2000s | 104,539 | 84,967 |
| 1990s | 4,207 | 117,475 |
| 1980s | 1,416 | 53,272 |
| 1970s | 1,319 | 30,884 |
| 1960s | 2,342 | 37,733 |
| 1950s | 4,237 | 49,127 |
| 1940s | 1,346 | 20,752 |
| 1930s | 1,180 | 6,204 |
| 1920s | 1,590 | 10,547 |
| 1910s | 1,401 | 10,766 |
| 1900s | 533 | 3,692 |
| 1890s | 479 | 2,479 |
| 1880s | 279 | 1,440 |
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.”
Victoria is the Latin word for “victory,” and the name of the Roman goddess of triumph. Britain’s Queen Victoria, who reigned more than sixty years, turned it into a royal classic.
Ava is more popular than Victoria today: about 7,732 US babies were given the name Ava in 2025, compared with 4,027 named Victoria.
Ava means Of debated origin; often “life” or “bird” (Latin origin), while Victoria means Victory (Latin origin).
In US records, Ava first appears in 1880 and Victoria in 1880, so Ava has the longer recorded history.