ALVA DUKE

Anglicized form of the traditional Irish name Ailbhe, which is derived from Old Irish albho ‘white’. In medieval times this was also a boy's name, but it has been revived mainly as a girl's name. It is popularly taken as a feminine equivalent of Alvin. In the 19th century it was occasionally conferred as a boy's name, a variant spelling of the biblical name Alvah, meaning ‘height’, which was borne by one of the leaders of Edom.

English and Irish: from Middle English duk(e) ‘duke’ (from Old French duc, from Latin dux, genitive ducis ‘leader’), applied as an occupational name for someone who worked in the household of a duke, or as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces.