ALVA

(female) 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.