Avis

Latin, "bird"; Germanic, "war"

I discovered Avis in the first baby name book I owned, and fell in love with this name that the authors felt deserved a place in the main section (not the list of rare names at the back), but which I’d never encountered before… and still haven’t, unless you count the car rental company.

It was a tutorial in etymology. The authors painstakingly outlined how the Germanic name Haduwig (with the belligerent meaning of “battle-war”) travelled through Europe becoming Hedwig, Edwige, Havoise, Avicia, then by the time it reached medieval Britain, Avice and Avis — the latter spelling influenced by the Latin word for “bird”.

Back then, there wasn’t much chance of Avis trending. This was the 1990s, when Ava and Maeve were old lady names, and Avery was only just starting to gather momentum in the US; it wouldn’t reach British shores for over a decade.

But now, these names are much-used and much-loved. And Avis, while still rare, feels like a much more viable alternative for parents looking for a name with a modern sound and ancient roots.