Fun Facts About the Name Ave
- 939 babies named Ave: U.S. records list 939 babies given the name Ave from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ave Mean?
Ave comes from the Latin word avē (also written havē), a greeting meaning "hail." Latin speakers used it both when meeting someone and when parting. The deeper origin of the word is uncertain; it is often connected with the Latin verb avēre, "to desire" or "to be well," but that link is not settled. Under this derivation the meaning of the name is the greeting itself, "hail," best known from the prayer Ave Maria ("Hail Mary"). In its Latin sense the word is a salutation rather than a description of a person.
Ave is also a feminine given name in Estonia. There it is not necessarily a translation of the Latin greeting, and its origin within that naming tradition is not clearly documented.
Ave Name History & Origins
In Rome, avē was an everyday word, spoken as hello and as farewell. The poet Catullus closes an elegy for his brother with ave atque vale, "hail and farewell." Suetonius records men about to fight in a mock sea battle greeting the emperor Claudius with Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant, "Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you."
The word passed into Christian worship through the Latin Bible. In Luke's Gospel the angel Gabriel addresses Mary with Ave, gratia plena, "Hail, full of grace," and the prayer built on that greeting, the Ave Maria, carried the word through Catholic devotion. Later musical settings of the Ave Maria, by composers such as Franz Schubert and Charles Gounod, kept it familiar in church and concert music.
As a personal name, Ave is uncommon in English-speaking countries, though it is used. In Estonia, Ave appears as a female given name and is distinct from the similar-looking Ava, which has a separate history.
How Popular is the Name Ave?
Ave has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #2,523 in 1944.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,528 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #6,400 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #7,689 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #9,765 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #6,729 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #6,665 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #7,064 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #6,283 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #6,078 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #4,751 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #9,019 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #6,751 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #7,092 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #6,371 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,970 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #7,934 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #5,556 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2008 | #6,154 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #4,701 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2006 | #6,899 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #7,555 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #6,527 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #7,257 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #8,363 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #10,211 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #10,862 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #10,463 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #10,242 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #9,908 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #11,995 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #11,935 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #13,671 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #13,499 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #13,372 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #13,178 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #9,776 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #10,485 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #7,175 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #8,419 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #10,569 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #9,330 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,556 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #10,336 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #6,994 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,938 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #7,353 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #9,188 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #6,954 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #6,133 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #6,613 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #4,510 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #4,319 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #4,218 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #3,348 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #4,282 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #3,467 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1960 | #3,362 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1959 | #5,065 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,558 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #3,156 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1956 | #4,185 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #2,736 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1954 | #2,701 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1953 | #2,601 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #3,569 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #3,500 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,980 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #3,913 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1948 | #4,696 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #4,461 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #4,602 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,523 | 13 | 0.0010% |
| 1942 | #4,668 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #4,457 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #3,879 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #3,782 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1932 | #3,935 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1931 | #4,385 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,079 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #4,104 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,869 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #4,067 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1924 | #5,146 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #3,673 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #4,879 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1916 | #2,679 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1913 | #3,229 | 5 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ave Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Ave's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ave's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.