Usa’s Most Popular Baby Names: Meanings and Origins Explained

   5.   Ava                 = life    or         desired            or         radiant

‘Ava’ is most likely a variant of ‘Eve’, a derivation of the Hebrew word ‘chavah’ which means ‘life’.  Another possible source is the 9th century saint Ava, whose name seems to be related to the Old German word ‘avi’, which means ‘desired’.  There is a third link, this time with the Celtic name Aoife, meaning ‘radiant’.  The late Ava Gardner was a successful actress in the 1950’s.  Heather Locklear and Reese Witherspoon both have daughters named Ava.

   6.   Olivia              = olive tree     or         ancestor 

The first recorded occurrence of the female name ‘Olivia’ is in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night.  It is probably derived from the Latin ‘oliva’, meaning ‘an olive tree’.  Alternatively, it may be a feminisation of the name ‘Oliver’, a version of the Old French name ‘Olivier’, also from the Latin for olive tree.  A third alternative connects it with the Old Norse word ‘olafr’, which means ‘ancestor.  A modern-day bearer of the name is Olivia Newton-John, star of the movie Grease.

   7.   Sophia             = wisdom 

‘Sophia’ is an alternative spelling of ‘sofia’, the Greek word for ‘wisdom’.  The Italian actress Sophia Loren is arguably the world’s most famous Sophia.

   8.   Abigail            = father’s joy

This name is from the Hebrew ‘Avigial’, meaning ‘father of exaltation’, and thus by extension, ‘father’s joy’.  In the bible, Abigail was the third wife of King David, described as both intelligent and beautiful.  She referred to herself as a handmaid, which is possibly why the word ‘abigail’ became the term for a lady’s maid, although it is more likely that this association dates from the 17th century English play The Scornful Lady, which features a maid called Abigail.

   9.   Elizabeth         = God is my oath        or         God is my abundance

Like Isabella above, ‘Elizabeth’ is a variant of the Hebrew name ‘Elisheva’, this time through the Greek variant ‘Elisabet’.  So, like Isabella, it means ‘My God is my oath’ or ‘My God is my sustenance’ or ‘My God is abundance’.  England has had two famous queens named Elizabeth, the 16th century Elizabeth I and the current monarch Elizabeth II.  Perhaps the most famous celebrity bearing the name is the actress Elizabeth Taylor.

  10.   Chloe             = blooming, flourishing

‘Chloe’ is simply a rendering of the Greek word ‘khlóē’, which means ‘a young green shoot’, and therefore ‘blooming’ and ‘flourishing’.  It is an alternative name for Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of fertility and agriculture.

So there you have it – the definitive list of meanings for America’s most popular names, with explanations of their origins and meanings.  Read it carefully, and think hard before you name your baby!

(If you found this article informative and helpful, you might also be interested in ‘England’s Most Popular Baby Names: meanings and origins explained’.)