Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Avice f. Latin avitia 'birds; the bird family', or possibly Old German Aveza.

This name was rare outside of England.

The English form Auis is witnessed in 1379 in the relational byname Auissoñ (WRYPT1 p. 166).

England
Latin
1181 Auicia (nom) StPaulDom p. 117; 1189 Avice (gen) GASurv p. 166, Avicia (nom) ibid. p. 109; 1222 Avicia (nom) StPaulDom p. 66; 1240 Auicia (nom) ibid. p. 119; 1279–80 Avicia (nom) WaHR-SK p. 31, Avicie (gen) ibid. p. 70; 1300 Avicia (nom) ProcSuf-vol3 p. 239; 1340xc1450 Auicia (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 6, Auisia (nom) ibid. p. 13; 1379 Auicia (nom) WRYPT1 p. 20, Auisia (nom) ibid. p. 5, Auysia (nom) ibid. p. 8; 1408 Avisia (nom) GCCYork p.12; 1553 Avise (nom) StMartF p. 57; 1557 Avis (nom) ibid. p. 59
Middle English
1406 Avys EEW p. 13; 1426 Aueys ibid. p. 76
Early Modern English
1530 Auys LIWill-III p. 14, Avys ibid. p. 14; 1539 Aves BarnstapleBap p. 1, Avys ibid. p. 1; 1540 Avys ibid. p. 2; 1541 Aves ibid. p. 2, Avysse ibid. p. 2; 1542 Avys HAmar-vol9 p. 2; 1545 Avys BarnstapleBap p. 4; 1554 Avis bruton1 p. 2; 1560 Avis StMaryA p. 3; 1561 Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 67, bruton1 p. 31; 1563 Avis BUmar-vol2 p. 60; 1564 Auis StMaryA p. 4; 1569 Avis CAmar-vol1 p. 2; 1571 Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 68; 1572 Avis ibid. p. 68, bruton1 p. 113; 1574 Aves COmar-vol5 p. 5; 1577 Avis RegBisham p. 4; 1584 Avis StAnthonlin p. 31, bruton1 p. 8; 1585 Avis ibid. p. 46; 1587 Avice ibid. p. 47, Avis ibid. p. 47; 1588 Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 139; 1589 Avice COmar-vol2 p. 49, Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 50, bruton1 p. 119; 1590 Avis BEmar-vol2 p. 31, HAmar-vol9 p. 140, bruton1 p. 49; 1591 Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 50; 1592 Avys COmar-vol5 p. 9; 1593 Avis StAnthonlin p. 36, Avise HAmar-vol9 p. 51; 1595 Avis BUmar-vol2 p. 118, bruton1 p. 122; 1596 Avis ibid. p. 55; 1598 Avice ibid. p. 56, Avis ibid. p. 11; 1599 Aves COmar-vol5 p. 11, Avis HAmar-vol9 p. 140
France
Latin
1255x1256 Avice (gen) NDParisII 2-CXIII; 1260 Avicia (nom) ArrestReg-volI IX, Candlemas, Avicie (dat) ibid. IX, Candlemas; 1301 Avisse (gen) MemPic-vol17 p. 207, Avissia (nom) ibid. p. 220
Old French
1313 Avice Paris1313 p. 155
Cite as: N. Shiel, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Avice". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Avice.