Avani

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: “the earth”
(UV-e-nee; UV-nee)

The name is derived from the Sanskrit अवनी (avani) “the earth.” It is the name of a small village in India that is known for its temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Sita, who is sometimes also known as Avanisuta (daughter of earth) as it is believed she was found while ploughing the earth.

Its pronunciation should be simple enough for most English-speakers, but is often butchered to (uh-VAH-nee). Avani sounds somewhat like Ebony; the emphasis is on the first and last syllable with soft a sounds, in some dialects the v is silent (UH-nee).

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/avani
• http://spokensanskrit.org
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avani,_Kolar