Mavis

The name Mavis is a girl's name of French origin meaning "songbird". Mavis, another word for the song thrush, is also a relative of the Welsh word for strawberries, mefus. Mavis has something of a British World War II feel, a friend of Beryl and Doris, but it was quite popular in the U.S. a couple of decades earlier, peaking in the Roaring Twenties. With the renewed interest in names ending in 's'--and in bird names-- Mavis could make a return, especially with the new interest in Maeve, and in fact it reentered the US Top 1000 after a 50 year absence in 2016. Some noted bearers of the name are r&b singer Mavis Staples, a member of the Staple Singers, Canadian writer Mavis Gallant and the feminist activist Mavis Leno. Mavis Gary was the name of the Charlize Theron character in the film Young Adult. And--trivia tidbit--in her short-running eponymous sitcom, Whoopi Goldberg's character was named Mavis.