AVA

BENEDICT

Of uncertain origin, probably Germanic, from a short form of various female compound names containing the element av (of uncertain meaning). St Ava or Avia was a 9th-century abbess of Dinart in Hainault and a member of the Frankish royal family. However, evidence for the existence of the name between the early Middle Ages and the mid-20th century is lacking, and it may well be a modern invention. Its popularity since the 1950s is largely due to the film actress Ava Gardner (1922–90).

English and Dutch: from the medieval personal name Benedict (Latin Benedictus meaning ‘blessed’). This owed its popularity in the Middle Ages chiefly to St. Benedict of Norcia (c.480–550), who founded the Benedictine order of monks at Monte Cassino and wrote a monastic rule that formed a model for all subsequent rules. No doubt the meaning of the Latin word also contributed to its popularity as a personal name, especially in Romance countries.