Ava (1)

  • [ AY-və ]
  • English
Variant of EVE. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990).

EVE   female   English, French, Biblical
From the Hebrew name חַוָּה (Chawwah), which was derived from the Hebrew word חוה (chawah) "to breathe" or the related word חיה (chayah) "to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century.
EQUIVALENTS
ARABIC: Hawa
ARMENIAN: Yeva
BIBLICAL GREEK: Eua
BIBLICAL HEBREW: Chawwah
BIBLICAL LATIN: Eva
BIBLICAL: Eve
BULGARIAN: Eva
CROATIAN: Eva
CZECH: Eva
DANISH: Eva
DUTCH: Eva
ENGLISH: Eva, Eve
FINNISH: Eeva, Eevi
FRENCH: Ève, Eve
GEORGIAN: Eva
GERMAN: Eva
GREEK: Eva
HEBREW: Chava, Hava
HUNGARIAN: Éva
ICELANDIC: Eva
IRISH: Éabha
ITALIAN: Eva
LATVIAN: Ieva
LITHUANIAN: Ieva
NORWEGIAN: Eva
OLD CHURCH SLAVIC: Eva
POLISH: Ewa
PORTUGUESE: Eva
RUSSIAN: Eva, Yeva
SLOVAK: Eva
SLOVENE: Eva
SPANISH: Eva, Evelia
SWEDISH: Eva
TURKISH: Havva
WELSH: Efa
DIMINUTIVES AND SHORT FORMS
ENGLISH: Eveleen, Evie, Evvie
HUNGARIAN: Évike
SPANISH: Evita