girl's name
Mavis
MAY-vis (English)
- Origin French, English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 24,213
the United States
#560
2025 births
Mavis is a girl's name from the old word for the song thrush, from French mauvis. Novelist Marie Corelli used it for a heroine in her 1895 best seller The Sorrows of Satan, which made it a popular English name in the early twentieth century.
- Mavis is a name of French, English origin.
- Peaked in 1927, when 603 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 6,174 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1893.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mavis Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 58 |
| 1900s | 235 |
| 1910s | 1,718 |
| 1920s | 5,597 |
| 1930s | 4,550 |
| 1940s | 2,707 |
| 1950s | 1,722 |
| 1960s | 992 |
| 1970s | 335 |
| 1980s | 176 |
| 1990s | 131 |
| 2000s | 128 |
| 2010s | 2,097 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,704 |
What Mavis Means
Mavis means song thrush, a bird famous for its clear song. The name has a gentle, old-fashioned sound, and it sits well beside other bird names.
Where Mavis Comes From
Old French mauvis named the song thrush, and English took it as a poetic word for the bird by the fourteenth century. As a personal name it's hard to find before Marie Corelli created Mavis Clare, a writer based on herself, for The Sorrows of Satan. Readers took it up, and the name spread through England and America. Its current use comes with other vintage names and the appeal of bird names such as Wren and Robin.
Mavis in Use
Singer Mavis Staples is the best-known modern bearer. Younger audiences know Mavis, the teenage vampire of Hotel Transylvania, and an older generation knows Mavis Beacon from typing software.
How Popular Is Mavis?
In 2025, Mavis was given to 537 babies in the United States, ranking #560 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Mavis Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Mavis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Mavis Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mavis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Mavis
- English MAY-vis
Sibling Names for Mavis
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Mavis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Mavis
What does the name Mavis mean?
Song thrush, from French mauvis.
Is Mavis an old-fashioned name?
Yes, and that vintage feel is part of its appeal now.
How do you pronounce Mavis?
MAY-vis.
How popular is the name Mavis?
In 2025, Mavis was given to 537 babies in the United States, ranking #560 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Mavis a girl's or a boy's name?
Mavis is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mavis?
Mavis has 2 syllables.
When was Mavis most popular?
Mavis peaked in 1927, when 603 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Mavis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mavis currently ranks #462 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.