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Mavis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mavis

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The baby name Mavis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MAY-vis (/ˈmeɪvɪs/).

Mavis is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: MAY-vis (/ˈmeɪvɪs/)

What is the meaning of the name Mavis ?

The baby name Mavis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MAY-vis (/ˈmeɪvɪs/).

Mavis is English in Origin.

Rooted in Middle English and Scots, Mavis comes from Old French mauvis, the poetic name for the song thrush (Turdus philomelos). As a given name it evokes birdsong, spring, and lyrical grace; many early literary uses employed “mavis” simply as a word for the thrush, lending the name a nature-inflected, musical meaning.

Adopted as a feminine given name in Britain in the late 19th century, it gained favor in the early 1900s - boosted by Marie Corelli’s character Mavis Clare - and spread to the U.S. and Commonwealth. Popular through the 1920s–40s, it later waned but enjoys periodic vintage revival, aided by figures like gospel legend Mavis Staples and modern screen characters. Variants and nicknames include Mave, Mavi, Mavie, and the rarer spelling Mavys; related-in-sound choices are Maeve and Avis (not etymologically linked). The core meaning remains “song thrush,” symbolizing melodiousness and renewal.

Mavis has the following similar or variant Names

Mavis – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
FJ 0 #6 1 374
GH Girls 0 #13 1,986 6,973
BW 0 #16 4 960
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
BW Girls 0 #36 136 4,216
GH 0 #37 363 5,396
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
TW 0 #80 21 4,523
CN 0 #83 4 3,857
JM 0 #89 5 3,714
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
PH 0 #107 4 5,607
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
ZA Girls 0 #121 4,556 25,928
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
BW Boys 0 #151 4 4,685
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
Sweden Girls 2021 #182 2 1,666
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
JM Girls 0 #186 76 7,507
TW Girls 0 #190 90 8,139
NA Girls 0 #194 31 7,146
MO Girls 0 #204 48 7,056
SG 0 #204 66 11,010
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
Canada Girls 2024 #222 64 2,795
CN Girls 0 #223 135 8,829
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
HK 0 #248 103 8,483
HK Girls 0 #249 537 16,104
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
NG 0 #266 7 5,926
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
MY 0 #283 48 12,352
GH Boys 0 #292 55 8,138
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
SG Girls 0 #297 321 18,916
DK Girls 0 #321 9 7,429
CN Boys 0 #328 4 9,639
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
QA Girls 0 #342 2 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
ZA 0 #372 76 14,421
NL 0 #378 14 2,481
PH Girls 0 #380 11 13,098
France Girls 2021 #402 4 3,185
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
PA Girls 0 #411 71 9,861
OM Girls 0 #418 7 15,987
KW Girls 0 #428 88 19,177
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
United States Girls 2024 #455 532 8,487
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
GT Girls 0 #493 13 7,500
GT Boys 0 #498 2 7,625
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
CM Girls 0 #506 35 11,671
CO 0 #507 4 7,768
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
CR Girls 0 #511 22 11,342
HK Boys 0 #516 12 12,905
IQ Girls 0 #517 9 11,303
RU Girls 0 #518 6 11,913
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
UY Girls 0 #534 3 6,731
AE Girls 0 #537 17 20,968
PS Girls 0 #541 7 10,981
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
LY 0 #555 5 12,703
NG Girls 0 #559 239 15,093
CM Boys 0 #572 4 12,054
BH 0 #586 2 17,937
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
MY Girls 0 #635 382 24,821
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
BO Girls 0 #646 6 9,488
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
IT 0 #705 10 4,183
Finland Girls 2026 #733 6 3,895
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #785 54 4,949
KW Boys 0 #804 3 18,755
NL Girls 0 #828 128 5,933
CL Girls 0 #842 10 14,098
SA Girls 0 #843 93 25,931
NG Boys 0 #862 90 16,906
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
PE Girls 0 #919 25 14,861
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
CO Girls 0 #935 144 16,140
EG Girls 0 #940 20 14,742
Spain Girls 0 #953 31 5,561
TR 0 #953 264 19,440
BR Girls 0 #991 2 12,708
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
ZA Boys 0 #1,033 146 25,619
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,092 20 25,439
MX Girls 0 #1,116 68 17,781
AE Boys 0 #1,140 4 22,615
MA 0 #1,196 4 20,986
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
IT Girls 0 #1,318 129 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,443 29 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,597 18 28,008

Mavis is popular in 69 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Canada
France
Sweden
Scotland, United Kingdom

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People also ask about Mavis

Mavis is predominantly a girl's name.
Mavis is a 2 syllable name, pronounced MAY-vis (/ˈmeɪvɪs/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mavie, Mavy, Mavys and Maevis.
Across languages, Mavis has these equivalents: Philomela (Greek, associated with the nightingale), Lark (English, 'songbird'), Merle (French, 'blackbird'), Paloma (Spanish, 'dove').
Yes — Mavis ranked #182 in Sweden in 2021, and appears in official birth registries across 6 countries.
Mavis ranks highest in Sweden (#182 in 2021).
Mavis's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #705 in 2014 to #455 in 2024 in United States.