Avila is best known as the walled Spanish city of Ávila, home of the 16th century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila, and its use as a first name usually honors her; the place name itself is of uncertain, probably pre-Roman origin, so the name is simply understood as "from Ávila". It also shares its sound with Ava, which explains much of its current appeal. In the United States Avila climbed from number 3929 in 2015 to number 2119 in 2024 and ranked number 2586 in 2025 with 67 girls.