Girls' name · since 1880

Ava

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 344,097 babies named Ava, peaking in 2007. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#108 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#11 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
344,097
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Ava is the #11 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 344,097 recorded since 1880.

Ava has 344,097 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11 as of the latest data, more common than 99.9% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #108 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #11 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 344,097 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ava ranks #108 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 344,097 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#108 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#11 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
344,097
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%99.9%
Ava vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Ava's 344,097 recorded births place it above 99.85% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Ava compares

344,097 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Ava's all-time total is 915x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ava Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 344,097 376 567,345
Peak-year births 18,053 21 19,840

Ava's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ava's full recorded timeline at 1953, 98% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 2% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 13 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 18,053 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ava popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 100 girls' name
Peak year (2007)
18,053
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
05,00010,00015,00020,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 7,732

Ava popularity over time - boys

344 total births recorded since 1927 (Ava as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 344 births
010203040 192720032006200920122015201820222025 7

Ava by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (155,879 births, 45% of the file).

2010s was Ava's strongest decade.

155,879 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.

Ava births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 155,879 births (45% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Ava compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ava's total volume

Ava vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 2%4%6%8% 6080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -95, 5.7%-102, 7%-93, 5.4%-146, 3.3%-84, 5.4%-146, 2.8%-146, 2.5%-146, 2.7%-116, 7.2%-146, 3.2%-146, 3%-142, 5.8%-92, 6.4%-146, 2.6%-75, 6.4%Ava-146, 5.2%Ava
Ava vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Ava by state

Where Ava concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ava
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
31,485 9.2%
#2 Texas
27,756 8.1%
#3 New York
21,316 6.2%
#4 Florida
17,995 5.2%
#5 Pennsylvania
15,437 4.5%
#6 Ohio
15,045 4.4%
#7 Illinois
13,462 3.9%
#8 North Carolina
12,448 3.6%
California share of Ava's total US births 9.2%
Even split

31,485 of 344,097 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Ava appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ava? ▼
344,097 babies have been named Ava since 1880. All-time, it sits at #108 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #11 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 2007 with 18,053 births.
Where does Ava sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ava ranks #108 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Ava most popular? ▼
Ava was most popular in the 2010s decade with 155,879 total births. The single peak year was 2007.
Where is Ava most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ava are California (31,485 births), Texas (27,756 births), New York (21,316 births).
How long has the name Ava been used? ▼
Records for Ava go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Ava? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Avah, Avalynn, Avani, Avalon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Ava's data

  • Ava's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (155,879 total births) through the 2020s (63,350) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Avas (31,485 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Ava

Nearby Names Like Ava

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ava

Avah Girl
#1439 7,046 births
Avalynn Girl
#1172 4,416 births
Avani Girl
#806 4,246 births
Avalon Girl
#1458 4,213 births
Avalyn Girl
#1551 3,697 births

Compare Ava side by side: Ava vs Avah Ava vs Avalynn Ava vs Avani

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ava

Eliana #10
76,104 births · Peak 2025
Eleanor #12
336,678 births · Peak 1920
Sofia #9
186,744 births · Peak 2015
Violet #13
185,561 births · Peak 2025
Evelyn #8
639,756 births · Peak 1921
Ailany #14
11,160 births · Peak 2025
Isabella #7
417,001 births · Peak 2010
Aurora #15
99,113 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ava: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ava draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.