Ava in Irish: Aoife
The Irish form of Ava is Aoife, a girl's name meaning “beautiful, radiant, joyful.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish form
- Aoife
- Meaning
- Beautiful, radiant, joyful
- Gender
- Girl
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 26 for girls (2025)
How do you say Ava in Irish?
Ava in Irish is Aoife, pronounced EE-fa. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Aoife mean?
Aoife means “beautiful, radiant, joyful.” Ava is one of the English forms of the name.
Read more about Aoife: its meaning, origin and stories
How popular is Ava in Ireland?
In 2025, 143 baby girls in Ireland were named Ava, which made it No. 26 that year. That's down from No. 3 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2008, when 695 baby girls were named Ava, No. 1 that year. It first appears in the records in 1978, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 143 | No. 26 |
| 2024 | 152 | No. 26 |
| 2023 | 207 | No. 15 |
| 2022 | 269 | No. 7 |
| 2021 | 272 | No. 8 |
| 2020 | 297 | No. 5 |
| 2019 | 313 | No. 7 |
| 2018 | 308 | No. 9 |
| 2017 | 315 | No. 9 |
| 2016 | 388 | No. 3 |
| 2015 | 421 | No. 3 |
| 2014 | 404 | No. 5 |
| 2013 | 410 | No. 7 |
| 2012 | 440 | No. 8 |
| 2011 | 446 | No. 8 |
| 2010 | 501 | No. 6 |
| 2009 | 635 | No. 2 |
| 2008 | 695 | No. 1 |
| 2007 | 555 | No. 6 |
| 2006 | 463 | No. 6 |
| 2005 | 339 | No. 18 |
| 2004 | 308 | No. 18 |
| 2003 | 255 | No. 24 |
| 2002 | 216 | No. 26 |
| 2001 | 137 | No. 41 |
| 2000 | 103 | No. 44 |
| 1999 | 77 | No. 60 |
| 1998 | 41 | No. 88 |
| 1997 | 21 | No. 213 |
| 1996 | 6 | No. 393 |
| 1995 | 5 | No. 417 |
| 1994 | 6 | No. 374 |
| 1993 | 7 | No. 356 |
| 1992 | 7 | No. 363 |
| 1991 | 4 | No. 457 |
| 1990 | 7 | No. 357 |
| 1989 | 3 | No. 503 |
| 1988 | 4 | No. 442 |
| 1986 | 3 | No. 521 |
| 1985 | 4 | No. 456 |
| 1984 | 4 | No. 459 |
| 1983 | 6 | No. 401 |
| 1982 | 5 | No. 425 |
| 1981 | 4 | No. 471 |
| 1978 | 3 | No. 522 |
Aoife in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Aoife, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- FFearn, alder
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Ava
Questions about Ava
- What is Ava in Irish?
- The Irish form of Ava is Aoife, pronounced EE-fa. Aoife means “beautiful, radiant, joyful.”
- How do you pronounce Aoife?
- Aoife is pronounced EE-fa. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- Is Ava a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Ava is a girl's name.
- How popular is Ava in Ireland?
- In 2025, Ava was No. 26 for girls in Ireland, with 143 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2008, at No. 1.