THE NAME REPORT · FIRST-NAME VIEW

Mavis

MAY-vis

NAME PROFILE

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Easy for most readers

    The spelling is not fully self-directing on first sight. A new reader can reasonably land on more than one pronunciation.

    89/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    If the name is misheard or mistyped, the correction is usually quick and easy to retain.

    99/100

  3. Lifetime Fit

    Strong lifetime fit

    This name is not tied to a casual short-form pattern, so it does not need a separate formal version to work in both settings.

    90/100

  4. International Mobility

    Travels well, with one adaptation

    The name travels more consistently on the page than in the mouth. Readers in different language communities can give the same spelling different sounds.

    92/100

Popularity

Distinctive

#561

Uncommon in current U.S. usage.

U.S. SSA · Girls' names · 2025

Ranked number 561 of 1000 among girls' names in United States for 2025. Public familiarity band: Distinctive. Popularity describes familiarity, not name quality.

About the name

Meaning

Mavis is an unusually well-documented literary coinage: Marie Corelli deliberately chose the word for 'song thrush' as a given name for her 1895 novel's heroine specifically because of the character's beautiful singing voice, making the bird-meaning and the name-story the same fact rather than two separate threads.

Origin and history

Documented roots: Old French.

Bottom line

On its own, Mavis holds up well, with a single specific point worth checking before you decide. If it stays on the shortlist, show the written name to someone seeing it for the first time and note where their pronunciation lands.