About Avis
Avis is a medieval English name probably descended from Germanic Aveza. Its deeper meaning is unknown, although it became associated with the Latin word for “bird.” The name’s history also includes Avis DeVoto, the editor and friend who helped Julia Child bring her work to American readers.
Meaning and medieval history
The likely route begins with Aveza, a Germanic name formed from the element awi, whose meaning is uncertain. Avis appears to be a Latinized form. The Normans brought the name to England, where it became moderately common during the Middle Ages.
Latin avis does mean “bird,” and that resemblance became part of the name’s medieval identity. It is a meaningful historical association, even though it does not settle the older Germanic etymology.
Avice is a spelling variant. Aveza, Avila, and Ava belong to the related Germanic name family. These connections place Avis among older European personal names rather than treating it solely as a modern nature-word choice.
In English, Avis is pronounced AY-vis, with two syllables and the stress at the beginning. Its long first vowel is followed by a short, clearly separated second syllable. Avice preserves much the same visible structure with a different ending.
Avis DeVoto and Julia Child
Avis DeVoto’s friendship with Julia Child began through an unexpected exchange about kitchen knives. Child wrote to DeVoto’s husband, Bernard, after reading his comments on the declining quality of paring knives. Avis answered, and the correspondence developed into an important personal and professional relationship.
DeVoto had worked as a book editor at Houghton Mifflin. When she learned that Child was preparing a cookbook, she helped seek a publisher. The project encountered setbacks, including Houghton Mifflin’s withdrawal after receiving an exceptionally large manuscript.
Their letters soon ranged beyond publishing. DeVoto became a close friend, and she encouraged Julia and Paul Child to settle in Cambridge after Paul’s retirement from overseas service. Her connection with Radcliffe College also helped bring the correspondence to an archive.
Working at Radcliffe, DeVoto became familiar with the Schlesinger Library and its interest in women’s correspondence. She encouraged Child to offer their letters to the library. The surviving exchange records both a friendship and the practical work behind a major cookbook.
American usage
Avis’s highest annual birth count for girls in the United States was 438 in 1920, when it ranked #312. Its strongest period in the local SSA series therefore belongs to the early twentieth century, long after its medieval English use.
Only nine girls were recorded with the spelling in 2000 and six in 2025. Those figures make Avis a rare contemporary birth name, while its medieval history and the DeVoto correspondence give it connections across very different periods.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Existing Wiktionary material is attributed under CC BY-SA 4.0 where applicable. Popularity figures use the local Social Security Administration exact-spelling series; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Avis?
In 2025, Avis ranked #13,413 among girls in the United States, with 6 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 438 in 1920. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.