in 1997. Ava was among the five most popular names for Black newborn girls in the American state of Virginia in 2022. One factor in its increase in popularity in English-speaking countries may have been the naming of the daughters of actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora, in 1997, and of actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe in 1999. Phillippe said in a magazine interview that he and Witherspoon named their child after actress Ava Gardner. It was the ninth most popular name for girls in Australia and eighth in New Zealand in 2013. Notable people Saint Ava, ninth-century Roman Catholic saint Ava (poet) (c.1060—1127), the first-named female writer in any genre in the German language Ava Lowle Willing (1868—1958), American socialite Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902—1956), American socialite, daughter of Ava Lowle Willing and John Jacob Astor IV Ava Barber (born 1954) American country singer Ava DuVernay (born 1972), American film director Ava Gardner (1922—1990), American actress Ava Hutchinson (born 1983), Irish long distance runner Ava Muhammad (1951–2022) American Black Muslim preacher and pioneering minister Ava Ohlgren (born 1988), American collegiate swimmer Ava Max, real name Amanda Ava Koci, (born 1994), American singer Ava Stewart (born 2005), American-born Canadian artistic gymnast Ava Yu (born 1985), Hong Kong singer, actress and television host References Notes English-language feminine given names Feminine given names Given names