Aviv means "barley ripening", and by extension "spring season" in Hebrew. It is also used as a given name, surname, and place name, as in Tel Aviv. The first month of the year is called the month of Aviv in the Pentateuch. The month is called Nisan in the book of Esther, and in subsequent post-exilic history up to the present day. These names are sometimes used interchangeably, although Aviv refers to the three month season, and Nisan is called the "first month of Aviv."