Mavis
Mavis is a feminine given name, derived from a name for the common Old World song thrush. Its first modern usage was in Marie Corelli's 1895 novel The Sorrows of Satan, which featured a character named Mavis Clare.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Mavis
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Mavis is a feminine given name, derived from a name for the common Old World song thrush. Its first modern usage was in Marie Corelli's 1895 novel The Sorrows of Satan, which featured a character named Mavis Clare.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Mavis
Mavis first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1893, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1927, when 603 Maviss were born — ranking #270 that year. As of 2026, Mavis ranks #525 for baby girls with 582 births, rising sharply (+56% over the past five years). In total, more than 24K Maviss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Mavis
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Mavis Adjei , Ghanaian actress
- Mavis Akoto , Ghanaian sprinter
- Mavis Batey , MBE (1921-2013), English code-breaker during World War II
- Mavis Biesanz (1919–2008), Finnish-American writer and sociologist
- Mavis B. Carroll (1917–2009), American statistician
- Mavis Cheek (1948–2023), English novelist and feminist
- Mavis Chirandu (b. 1995), Zimbabwean footballer
- Mavis Thorpe Clark , AM (1909-1999), Australian novelist and children's writer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Mavis
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mavis is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mavis
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About the name Mavis
Mavis is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1893 and has accumulated 24K births in the dataset. Mavis's peak popularity came in 1927 when it ranked #270. Use the chart and map above to compare Mavis's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1927 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.