Comments for the name Avril

A famous bearer of this name is singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne.

The word "Avril" literally means "April" in French.

It also means April in German.

Fairy Girl, Avril does NOT mean April in German! April is simply April (ah-PRILL) in German.

I like this name, the cooler, more sophisticated version of "April".

This is such a beautiful name!

Hi, I got this in a dictionary:
"In Unreal Tournament 2004, AVRiL is an acronym for Anti-Vehicle Rocket Launcher. The small "i" is added for easier pronunciation."

I like the meaning of this name! "The sprouts of spring; born in April"

It would suit me very well because I was born on the first day of April! I know you Westerners think it is the April Fool's day, oh well, unfortunately my mum did not know that back home, so here I am. :)

I did not personally make this my English name though, because I didn't really like the ending sound "vil", it feels that something is stuck in my mouth when I pronounce it. I'd prefer a name with a happy and clear ending sound. But on the whole, this name does look nice and has a nice meaning.

You'd think Avril Lavigne would have ruined this name for many people, as she is a bad singer with a fake image. On the other hand, the name can remind people of the nice track Avril 14th by Aphex Twin, and it does sound more sophisticated and prettier than April. It's just that a lot of people might assume Avril Lavigne inspired the name choice.

Cute, quirky, stylish and old fashioned charming. Has it all really.

In the 1960s there was a South African man called Avril Malan. He pronounced it AH-vRil, and since he was the Springbok rugby captain and a very tough guy indeed, he clearly had no problems as a result of his name. There have been other male Avrils, but he's the most prominent by far.

Avril, Averil, Averill (and Averell) and Everild are all legit forms from the Anglo-Saxon name Eoforhild. The series could be, more or less, Eoforhild>Everhild>Everild>*Everil>Averil(l)>Avril.

Avril, reflecting a contracted pronunciation, coincides formly with the French Avril, "April", but it is just a coincidence. It is true that most of the parents will select Avril because "hey, it is French and that is cool", but this has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the form (only with parents' knowledge, trendyness, taste). On the other hand, historically Avril was used as masculine name in French (just as Aprilis in Latin and Abril in Catalan, Spanish and Galician).

The surname Averill is a matronym (the mother's name used as family name, with or without a mark) and was a first name before a surname. So, it is true that it is a surname, but it is also true that it is a legit first name.

Author: Lumia (Name Facts Board)

April might be an English name, but Avril certainly isn't a French one. No one's called like this in France, and by the way it would seem male, like the month. Avril Lavigne might have a French sounding name but it's nothing French at all, I'm afraid. You're free to call your child Avril if you want, but in France, it would be very unusual, and your kid would get teased about being called like a month of the calendar. ;)

You are right it's NOT a French name, it's ENGLISH - deriving from the Anglo Saxon Eoforhild if you cared to read the post above yours. It quite explicitly states that. Avril is only used in English speaking countries although with the singer in mind and having done some research it does get some use by French Canadians and obviously was used on some males in France (and South Africa).

It's pretty, simple and I never see it so I give it a thumbs up.

Avril Angers, British comedienne and actress.

This is a name I would use. I love it! For a middle or a first name.

Avril Incandenza is a character in David Foster Wallace's book Infinite Jest.

Avril seems like a punk-ish name, and even though it's not one of my favorites, I think it's a nice name.

I don't like the singer Avril Lavigne so she kind of turned me off to the name. But I do like the name overall I guess. It's spunky and unusual. Like it.

I love this name!
I like both the English and French pronunciations, although an "av-REEL" probably would become "Av-ril" eventually anyway. It really is a beautiful, unique name that ages well, unlike April, which I think is too infantile and bright to fit anyone past the age of 30. And this name seems much more versatile than April, too! An April wouldn't be a good emo girl would she? And Avril could be a geek, a popular girl, a goth girl... and her name would always fit! It also sounds quite punk-rock, sort of like Darcy (f)
It does help that it is the name of Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne is a bearer of this beautiful name, because I guess you could say she's my "guilty pleasure."

Avril Bradley is a character in the Japanese light novel series, Gosick.

@You are right it's NOT a French name, it's ENGLISH - if you cared to read the post above yours.
-- Anonymous User 10/29/2008

Well, the entry for the name still states Avril as a French name, which it isn't, so please spare me...

I don't see how it would be weird to use this name in France... In America we name our children April, May, and June, and its not that big of a deal. Any teasing would probably subside around mid-elementary school anyway... I guess it's just different there.

All I can think of is Avril Lavigne and her horrid music.