Mavis

Where Mavis comes from

Coined at the end of the 19th century from mavis, a poetical name for the song thrush.
— Wiktionary's entry for Mavis
  • English
  • 2 syllables
Mavis through the years
  1. 1893
    First appearance
    #1,437 among girls with 5 babies, the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1922
    Mavis Gallant born
    Canadian writer
  3. 1927
    Peak, #270
    603 babies named Mavis, the most in any year.
  4. 1939
    Mavis Staples born
    American singer
  5. 1942
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births, down to #425.
  6. 2012
    Around this time: Hotel Transylvania
    Film, 2012 · Source
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from English.
Namesakes
  • Mavis Staples · American singer, born 1939
  • Mavis Gallant · Canadian writer, 1922–2014
  • Mavis Batey · British cryptoanalyst, diplomat and garden historian, 1921–2013
  • Mavis Freeman · American swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist, 1918–1988
  • Mavis Nkansah Boadu · Ghanaian politician, born 1989

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record. Events show what happened around then, not why parents chose the name.