Mavis is a female given name, derived from a name for the common Old World song thrush. Its first modern usage was in

Marie Corelli Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey, and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist. From the appearance of her first novel '' A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became the bestse ...

's 1895 novel ''

The Sorrows of Satan ''The Sorrows of Satan'' is an 1895 Faustian novel by Marie Corelli. It is widely regarded as one of the world's first best-sellers – partly due to an upheaval in the system British libraries used to purchase their books, and partly due to its ...

'', which featured a character named Mavis Clare (whose name was said to be "rather odd but suitable", as "she sings quite as sweetly as any thrush"). The name was long obsolete by the 19th century, but known from its poetic use, as in

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

's 1794 poem ''Ca' the Yowes'' ("Hark the mavis evening sang/Sounding Clouden's woods amang"); and in the popular love song "Mary of Argyle" (c.1850), where lyricist

Charles Jefferys Charles Jefferys (11 January 1807 – 9 June 1865, in London) was an English music publisher and composer of songs. Career Jefferys carried on a London music publishing business. In 1854 he won a legal action with Thomas Boosey, respecting co ...

wrote, "I have heard the mavis singing its love-song to the morn." ''Mavis'' had its height of popularity between the 1920s and 1940s. Its usage declined thereafter, and it has been rather unfashionable since the 1960s.

Notable people

Mavis Adjei Mavis Adjei is a Ghanaian actress currently based in The Netherlands. Early life and education Adjei hails from the diamond town of Akwatia in the Eastern Region of Ghana. She had her secondary education at Swedru Agona Swedru is a ...

, Ghanaian actress *

Mavis Akoto Mavis Akoto (born 22 March 1978) is a Ghanaian sprinter. She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (D ...

, Ghanaian sprinter *

Mavis Batey Mavis Lilian Batey, MBE (née Lever; 5 May 1921 – 12 November 2013), was a British code-breaker during World War II. She was one of the leading female codebreakers at Bletchley Park. She later became a historian of gardening who campaigne ...

, MBE (1921-2013), English code-breaker during World War II *

Mavis Biesanz Mavis Hiltunen Biesanz (July 27, 1919 Vermilion Lake Township, MinnesotaThe Tico Times, March 7, 2008, page W3 – February 21, 2008 Escazú, Costa Rica) was a Finnish-American writer and sociologist. Many of her books were about Central American ...

(1919–2008), Finnish-American writer and sociologist *

Mavis B. Carroll Mavis Bowler Carroll (October 12, 1917 – March 7, 2009) was an American statistician who pioneered the industrial use of statistics in her work at General Foods. Carroll finished high school at age 16 and attended the New Jersey College for W ...

(1917–2009), American statistician * Mavis Cheek (b. 1948), English novelist and feminist * Mavis Chirandu (b. 1995), Zimbabwean footballer *

Mavis Thorpe Clark Mavis Thorpe Clark AM (26 June 1909 – 8 July 1999) was an Australian novelist and writer for children who was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a ...

, AM (1909-1999), Australian novelist and children's writer * Mavis Danso (b. 1984), Ghanaian footballer * Mavis Doering (1929–2007),

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. ...

basketmaker from Oklahoma * Mavis Dgajmah (b. 1973), Ghanaian footballer * Mavis Ehlert (1922–2007), British-Canadian sculptor *

Mavis Fan Mavis Fan (; born 27 February 1977) is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Life and career Fan began her singing career in the mid 90s as a pop idol, singing songs catered mostly towards children and young teenagers. Fan was raised only by her mot ...

(b. 1977), Taiwanese singer * Mavis Freeman (1918–1988), American swimmer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics *

Mavis Gallant Mavis Leslie de Trafford Gallant, , née Young (11 August 1922 – 18 February 2014), was a Canadian writer who spent much of her life and career in France. Best known as a short story writer, she also published novels, plays and essays. Pe ...

(1922–2014), Canadian writer * Mavis Gibson, Zimbabwean lawyer, first black woman judge of the High Court of Zimbabwe, and first woman judge of the High Court of Namibia * Mavis Gray née Beckett (b. 1944), Australian field hockey player * Mavis Doriel Hay (1894–1979), British author *

Mavis Hee Mavis Hee (born Xu MeiJing, , 27 September 1974) is a Singaporean singer, songwriter and actress. She was the second runner-up and also Miss Photogenic and Miss Amity for Singapore's Miss Chinatown Pageant 1992. Career Hee's first album ''Kno ...

(b. 1974), Singaporean singer * Mavis Hinds (1929–2009), English meteorologist *

Mavis Hutchinson Mavis Hutchison (25 November 1924 – 19 May 2022) was a South African athlete, primarily known for running in ultramarathons. Career Born in South Africa, Hutchison's career began as a race walker, and her first record was in the 50-mile walk k ...

, first woman to run across the United States * Mavis Jones (1922–1990), Australian cricket player * Mavis Jukes (b. 1947), American children's author * Mavis Kelsey (1912–2013), American internist and one of the founders of the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic *

Mavis Hawa Koomson Mavis Hawa Koomson (born 3 February 1966) is a Ghanaian politician and educationist. She is the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency and doubles as the Minister of Special Development Initiatives. She was appointed by President ...

(b. 1966), Ghanaian politician and educationist * Mavis Le Marquand,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

lawn bowler *

Mavis Leno Mavis Elizabeth Nicholson Leno (born September 5, 1946) is an American philanthropist and wife of Jay Leno, the former host of ''The Tonight Show''. A leading feminist in California, in the United States as a whole, and internationally, Leno keep ...

(b. 1946), American feminist and wife of

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...

* Mavis Maclean, MBE,

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(b. 1943), socio-legal researcher at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and founder of the Oxford Centre for Family Law and Policy (OXFLAP) * Mavis Meadowcroft (1926–2008), Australian

lawn bowler Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

* Mavis Moyo (b. 1929), Radio Zimbabwe broadcaster and founding member of the Federation of African Media Women Zimbabwe (FAMWZ) * Mavis Mullins, New Zealand businesswoman *

Mavis Nicholson Mavis Nicholson (née Mainwaring; 19 October 1930 – 8 September 2022) was a Welsh writer and radio and television broadcaster. She was born in Wales, and worked throughout the United Kingdom. Early life Nicholson was born on 19 October 1930 i ...

(b. 1930), Welsh broadcaster * Mavis Ogun (b. 1973), Nigerian footballer who played in three

FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's international governing bod ...

s *

Mavis Pugh Mavis Gladys Fox Pugh (25 June 1914 – 6 December 2006) was a British actress who made many appearances (typically playing upper-class women) in several sitcoms including ''Dad's Army'', ''Are You Being Served?'' and ''Fawlty Towers''. Her best ...

(1914–2006), English actress and comedian *

Mavis Rivers Mavis Chloe Rivers (19 May 1929 – 29 May 1992) was a Samoan and New Zealand jazz singer. She was born in Apia, Samoa, as one of thirteen children to a musical family. In 1954, she moved to the United States. She married Glicerio Reyes "David" ...

(1929–1992), Samoan and New Zealand jazz singer *

Mavis Smitheman Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250. Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown fro ...

, local body councillor for Ardwick, Manchester *

Mavis Staines Mavis Avril Staines (born April 9, 1954) is a Canadian ballet dancer and teacher. Staines grew up in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. In 1972, she graduated from Canada's National Ballet School. After becoming a first soloist with the National ...

(b. 1954), Canadian ballet dancer *

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Duri ...

(b. 1939), American rhythm and blues singer * Mavis Steele MBE (1928–1998), British

* Mavis Sweeney (1909–1986), Australian hospital pharmacist who was awarded The Evans Medal for Merit in 1968 *

Mavis Taillieu Mavis Taillieu (born August 8, 1952) is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 2003 to 2013, representing the opposition Progressive Conservative Party and served as the critic of Culture, Her ...

(b. 1952), Canadian politician *

Mavis Tate Mavis Constance Tate (born Maybird Hogg; 17 August 1893 – 5 June 1947) was a British Conservative politician and campaigner for British women's rights. Life Her first marriage, to Captain G. H. Gott, lasted from 1915 until their divorce in 1 ...

(1893–1947), British Conservative Party politician and feminist, born Maybird Hogg * Mavis Taylor (1915–2007), Australian humanitarian * Mavis Tchibota (b. 1996), Congolese footballer *

Mavis Villiers Mavis Villiers (born Mavis Clare Cooney; 10 December 190923 February 1976) was an Australian-born British actress of stage, film and television. Her parents were John Cooney and Clara Smythe. Her brother, Cecil Cooney, was a camera operator an ...

(1911–1976), British actress * Mavis Wilson (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1980–90s), Canadian politician

Fictional characters

* Mavis Anderson, secondary character and best friend to

Miss Ellie Ewing Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing Farlow (maiden name Southworth) is a fictional character from the primetime CBS television series ''Dallas'', a long-running serial centered on the lives of the wealthy Ewing family of Dallas, Texas. Created by writer ...

(

Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost five decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in the te ...

) in ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' *

Mavis Beacon Mavis is a female given name, derived from a name for the common Old World song thrush. Its first modern usage was in Marie Corelli's 1895 novel ''The Sorrows of Satan'', which featured a character named Mavis Clare (whose name was said to be "rat ...

, the eponymous African-American typing instructor of the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software * Mavis Bramston, from '' The Mavis Bramston Show'' (1964–1968), an Australian television satire * Mavis Buckey, an anthropomorphic animal character from the ''

Funny Farm Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

'' series * Mavis Clare, a popular author who resists the temptation of the Devil in ''

'' by

* Mavis Cruet, an obese young

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

incapable of flight, from the British children's animated series ''

Willo the Wisp ''Willo the Wisp'' is a British cartoon series originally produced in 1981 by the BBC and narrated by Kenneth Williams. It became popular with children and adults, as it bridged the gap between the end of weekday children's programming and t ...

'' * Mavis Davis, a pseudonymous singer in the British comedy '' Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis'' * Mavis DeVere, one version of the actual name of

Bubbles DeVere This is a list of characters for the British television and radio sketch show '' Little Britain'' (and its American spin-off, '' Little Britain USA''). Overview ;Key : Characters that appear for only one sketch are not listed in the table A ...

, a character in the BBC comedy series ''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'' * Mavis Dracula, a 118-year-old vampire and the daughter of

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...

in the ''

Hotel Transylvania ''Hotel Transylvania'' is an American animated media franchise created by comedy writer Todd Durham and produced by Sony Pictures Animation. It consists of four feature films, three short films, a flash-animated TV series, and several video ...

'' movie franchise * Mavis Freestone, a singer in the ''...

in Death The ''...in Death'' series of novels and novellas is written by Nora Roberts under her pseudonym J. D. Robb. Set in a mid-21st-century New York City, they feature NYPSD ("New York City Police and Security Department") lieutenant Eve Dallas and he ...

'' series of detective novels * Mavis Gary, the main character of ''

Young Adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

'' *

Mavis Madling ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason ...

, in the situation comedy series ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'' * Mavis McCready, a recurring character in the television series '' Greenleaf'', portrayed by Oprah Winfrey * Mavis Ming, title character of

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...

's ''

The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming ''The Dancers at the End of Time'' is a series of science fiction novels and short stories written by Michael Moorcock, the setting of which is the End of Time, an era "where entropy is king and the universe has begun collapsing upon itself" ...

'', part of his ''

Dancers at the End of Time ''The Dancers at the End of Time'' is a series of science fiction novels and short stories written by Michael Moorcock, the setting of which is the End of Time, an era "where entropy is king and the universe has begun collapsing upon itself" ...

'' series * Mavis Munro, office manager in the comic book series ''

Supernatural Law ''Supernatural Law'', previously known as ''Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre'', is a comic strip, comic book and web comic series written and illustrated by Batton Lash. The series features the law practice of Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd ...

'' and ''Supernatural Law Secretary Mavis'' * Mavis, a minor character in The Addy Book Series from ''

American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...

'' * Mavis, a thirteen year old girl with the powers of the birds of the world in the children's book series Mavis A Genuine Heroine *

Mavis Pike ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

, in the British situation comedy ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

'' * Mavis Rae, main character in the situation comedy '' Whoopi'' * Mavis Vermillion, founder and first master of the same-named guild in manga and anime ''

Fairy Tail ''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 ' ...

'' * Mavis Wilton, in the British soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' * Dark Mavis, recurring character in English rock band

Mansun Mansun were an English alternative rock band, formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rathbone. It was announ ...

's debut album ''

Attack of the Grey Lantern ''Attack of the Grey Lantern'' is the debut album by English alternative rock band Mansun released in February 1997 via Parlophone. The album spent a total of 19 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number one. Background According to Mansu ...

'' * Mavis (DC Comics), two fictional characters who first appeared in the DC Comics universe * Mavis, from the BBC comedy ''

Open All Hours ''Open All Hours'' is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The programme developed from a television pilot broadcast in Ronn ...

'' * Mavis, a diesel locomotive character from ''

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. T ...

'' books by the

Rev. W. Awdry Wilbert Vere Awdry (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997) was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was best known for creating Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and several other characters he created appeared in ...

and from the derived children's television series ''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

References

{{given name, cat=English feminine given names