From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning “apple”, a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly “desired”. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.