Evelyn Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Girl Names Like Evelyn

Evelyn Name Origin: English
Pronunciation: ehv-ah-lin
See what 56 people think about Evelyn

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Evelyn Name Meaning

A derivative of the surname Aveline, Evelyn is a surprise unisex moniker, though much more popular among little girls these days. With a meaning like beauty or beautiful bird, she has a background as lovely as she is.

Evelyn managed to crack the U.S. Top 10 for the first time since 1915 in 2017 thanks to her old-school charm and mega-popular -lyn ending that fits in with the likes of Madelyn and Adelyn. She also has the trendy V sound we see in popular choices Olivia and Ava. Evelyn is undoubtedly feminine for those on the fence because of her masculine history, easily holding her own in a sea of ultra-girly monikers like Isabella or Sophia thanks to her delicate sound.

For parents all about the surname as a first name trend but feeling iffy about using traditional surnames like Spencer or Mavis, Evelyn is the perfect solution to your conundrum. She is technically a surname, though much more recognizable today as a first name.

Evelyn is also bursting with nickname options including Evy, Ev, and Lynn. Related Ev- names include Evelina, Eva, Eve, and Evie. Charlotte, Amelia, and Violet are names with a similar charm to Evelyn.

Evelyn Name Popularity

How popular is the name Evelyn? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	17	3,766	1.0696%
1911	16	4,057	1.0895%
1912	13	5,618	1.114%
1913	12	6,680	1.1782%
1914	11	8,504	1.2203%
1915	10	11,594	1.2761%
1916	11	11,889	1.2308%
1917	11	12,529	1.2524%
1918	11	13,486	1.2566%
1919	11	13,321	1.2722%
1920	12	13,832	1.244%
1921	12	14,275	1.2466%
1922	13	13,314	1.1951%
1923	12	13,173	1.1761%
1924	12	13,354	1.15%
1925	12	12,503	1.1062%
1926	13	11,776	1.0707%
1927	15	11,497	1.0386%
1928	17	10,532	0.9843%
1929	19	9,879	0.9538%
1930	19	9,536	0.9129%
1931	24	8,487	0.8599%
1932	23	7,958	0.8055%
1933	30	6,944	0.7453%
1934	29	6,978	0.7218%
1935	31	6,559	0.6749%
1936	34	6,108	0.6341%
1937	36	5,752	0.5837%
1938	38	5,690	0.5558%
1939	40	5,324	0.5234%
1940	48	4,981	0.4686%
1941	50	4,927	0.4378%
1942	53	4,936	0.3909%
1943	53	4,908	0.376%
1944	57	4,508	0.3637%
1945	57	4,370	0.3583%
1946	65	4,886	0.3311%
1947	72	5,240	0.3139%
1948	74	4,840	0.3032%
1949	80	4,522	0.2811%
1950	86	4,269	0.2651%
1951	88	4,226	0.2492%
1952	90	4,149	0.2377%
1953	94	4,056	0.2292%
1954	110	3,943	0.2157%
1955	112	3,808	0.207%
1956	120	3,739	0.198%
1957	125	3,625	0.1884%
1958	134	3,259	0.1724%
1959	134	3,259	0.1715%
1960	137	3,216	0.1697%
1961	146	2,927	0.155%
1962	153	2,761	0.1504%
1963	159	2,547	0.1419%
1964	163	2,360	0.1341%
1965	176	1,971	0.1205%
1966	177	1,840	0.1178%
1967	184	1,700	0.112%
1968	192	1,611	0.1073%
1969	214	1,422	0.0923%
1970	214	1,443	0.0907%
1971	233	1,260	0.0839%
1972	254	1,032	0.0758%
1973	249	983	0.0758%
1974	273	903	0.0695%
1975	278	832	0.0647%
1976	283	782	0.0607%
1977	288	800	0.0593%
1978	283	794	0.0591%
1979	285	828	0.0587%
1980	290	826	0.0565%
1981	246	982	0.0668%
1982	198	1,348	0.0902%
1983	222	1,104	0.0748%
1984	243	1,012	0.068%
1985	230	1,094	0.0721%
1986	242	1,044	0.0692%
1987	255	966	0.0633%
1988	238	1,082	0.0694%
1989	240	1,119	0.0693%
1990	222	1,254	0.0757%
1991	224	1,240	0.0761%
1992	202	1,390	0.0871%
1993	212	1,321	0.0847%
1994	202	1,413	0.0921%
1995	196	1,477	0.098%
1996	190	1,552	0.1037%
1997	192	1,545	0.1045%
1998	179	1,683	0.1124%
1999	163	1,928	0.1287%
2000	150	2,205	0.1443%
2001	127	2,669	0.1771%
2002	98	3,358	0.2241%
2003	88	3,685	0.2422%
2004	84	3,751	0.2461%
2005	71	4,484	0.2933%
2006	65	4,741	0.3028%
2007	55	5,052	0.3202%
2008	54	5,098	0.3298%
2009	40	5,583	0.3735%
2010	39	5,840	0.4053%
2011	24	6,707	0.4708%
2012	27	6,876	0.4825%
2013	20	7,659	0.5379%
2014	16	8,739	0.5998%
2015	15	9,358	0.6431%
2016	12	10,096	0.7002%
2017	9	10,675	0.7648%
2018	10	10,376	0.7552%
2019	10	10,392	0.7677%
2020	9	9,225	0.7247%
2021	9	8,891	0.7273%
2022	9	9,289	0.7041%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Evelyn

If you like Evelyn, you’ll love these other names like Evelyn.

What names are diminutives of Evelyn?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Evelyn sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Evelyn, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Eva	Life	Hebrew
Eve	Life, animal	Latin
Evie	Life	English
Lynn	Lake", "waterfall" or "pool", and probably would have been given to a family living near such a body of water. Sometimes used as a diminutive of Linda (Spanish) "pretty	Spanish

What names are variants of Evelyn?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Evelyn.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Aveline	Hazelnut	French
Evalyn
Evelien	Form of Evelyn	Dutch
Evelin
Evelina	A variant form of Eveline.	Latin
Evelynn	Desired one	English
Evelynne

What names sound like Evelyn?

If you like how Evelyn sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Evelyn.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Adeline	Noble one	German
Avril	To open	Latin
Emerson	Son of Emery	English

Evangeline	Good news	English
Madeline	Woman from Magdala	English

What names are similar to Evelyn?

Find a name that’s like Evelyn, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Adelaide	Noble one	German
Charlotte	Free man	French
Diana	Heavenly and divine	Latin
Eleanor	Of unknown meaning	English
Elizabeth	God is my oath	Hebrew
Ellen	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Hannah	Grace	Hebrew
Helena	Sun ray, shining light	Greek
Ruby	Red gemstone	English
Sarah	Princess	Hebrew

Lists With Evelyn

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Evelyn.

Siblings of Evelyn

Mamas with kids named Evelyn also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Amelia	Work	German
Ethan	Enduring and strong	Hebrew
Caleb	Whole heart	Hebrew

Dalton	Valley town	English
Wyatt	Brave in battle	English
Cristian	Follower of Christ	English
Johana	God is gracious	Hebrew
Jesse	Gift	Hebrew
Samuel	Name of God	Hebrew
Lorelei	“The enchantress,” in allusion to the siren of German legend whose singing on reefs in the Rhine lured sailors to their doom.	German

Share Your Thoughts

56 Comments

Nicole Mar 1 at 8:49 pm

My husband and I love vintage names, and I had always liked the name Evelyn. Every Evelyn I’ve met has been a very sweet, kind lady so I thought I couldn’t go wrong naming my baby girl Evelyn too.

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Jenna Nov 13 at 8:40 am

My husband loved the Mummy, but I also really loved the name. So it was a mutual agreement ?

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Tiffany Oct 17 at 3:20 pm

I wanted something that was elegant and timeless and I love everything about it.

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Evelyn Jun 4 at 4:27 pm

I am Evelyn Ann and was named after my Mom’s Sister and my Godmother. When I was a child in the 60’s -70’s it was not a common name but since I am older I have realized the significance of the name as well as the versatility being nicknamed ‘Ev or Evie’.
Feeling it is now a Classic, Untimely Name and feel fortunate!

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Jenine Jan 7 at 9:07 pm

This name sounds very romantic and feminine. It was well received when we floated it as a possibility to friends and family. Whenever we tell people Evelyn’s name, we get compliments. It’s also a fun name to nickname…we like Evie.

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Caitlin Jan 4 at 6:00 pm

We named our little girl after my husband’s grandmother. She is one of the sweetest people I know. It is a classic name.

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- My Mom named me Evelyn from her grandmother to! Mar 12 at 6:38 am
  
  I love my name sooo much!
  
  Reply
Kate Dec 8 at 9:00 am

I love the name Evelyn because it sounds so beautiful and dainty, it has a cute nickname (Evie), it’s modern but also traditional so it makes everyone (young or old) happy to hear it, and the main reason we love the name Evelyn and named our daughter Evelyn was because it means “desired one” or “wished for child” which was certainly true. We really wanted to have a baby and she’s been such a blessing to us.

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Kaitlyn Jul 6 at 9:56 am

Evelyn was first picked by my husband, we both fell in love with it .

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Mama Apr 25 at 7:43 am

Means “child wished for” and after we had tried for so long to have another, she came along!!

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Mama Mar 24 at 8:17 am

3 reasons we chose this name…

1. She is named after a woman who is like a grandmother to me.

2. The meaning of the name spoke to us, she definetly was a “wished for child”.

3. Her nickname is Evee, after the pokemon Eevee ?

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Denise Feb 15 at 7:46 am

We love that Evelyn means “life”. Another meaning we found is “longed-for child.”

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- Abby Blossom Gentry Feb 19 at 8:31 pm
  
  That’s cool.
  
  Reply
Abigail Jan 21 at 6:08 pm

love the name!! also love the nickname Evie and velyn.

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Jocelyn Oct 14 at 6:26 am

We liked the name Evie but wanted it to be a nick name.

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Dana Oct 11 at 2:04 pm

Evelyn is a timeless name and matures with a person as they grow. Nick names like Evie or Eve are cute and appropriate for young childhood or middle childhood and Evelyn is a more unique, strong name that can be used as an adult.
I love the sound of the full name, but also the simplicity of the nick names (Like Eve).

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Mama Jul 19 at 5:28 pm

I looked through thousands of names and Evelyn was and Evelyn was one of the only ones I really liked. Didn’t. It also didn’t have any previous associations like other names. I like how it starts with an E and I like the soft sound of it.

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Tiffany Bliss Jul 4 at 12:01 am

We chose Evelyn because in our area it’s not a common name and it’s old fashioned without being too out there. Also when we found out one of the meanings of the name is “wished for child” it was too perfect as we’ve been waiting for her for 13 years.

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Ashley Jun 3 at 6:21 am

My husband woke up in the middle of the night with the name Evelyn Grace and suggested Evie as a nickname. We both loved it!

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Ash Apr 4 at 12:41 am

We heard the name Evelyn on a stream my partner was watching at the time, well, actually, we heard the nickname; Evie & I originally wanted to name her Evie because I just loved the way it sounded, but my partner said we couldn’t give her a nickname for a name, so we after much debating & negotiation, we finally agreed upon Evelyn. Later, we discovered that Evelyn is actually his mother’s middle name & it was also the name of his great grandmother (Mum’s, Mum’s Mum), which made it all the more perfect for our little family. I love how adorable the nickname sounds & how professional (even if it is a little ‘old fashioned’) the name Evelyn sounds.

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Ericka Oct 12 at 12:24 pm

My daughter inherited her name from her late Great Grand Mother.
I love that it’s beautiful and timeless.
It also complements her big sister’s name Aralynn

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Emily Oct 5 at 11:06 am

We chose Evelyn because we had been TTC for over a year and when we found out I was pregnant with a girl, we started looking at names and meanings. Evelyn means “wished for child” and thought it was perfect considering how she got here. We are still grateful for our little wishes for child!

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Anne Sep 2 at 3:16 pm

My daughter is Evelyn Rosemary. Her older brothers are Isaac William and Arthur Robin. Simply known as Isaac, Arthur and Evelyn. I love our little Evelyn’s name. It’s classic, fairly short and not very sweet or cute. I feel it’s a lovely name for a child or an adult. When we picked it we didn’t know there had been an Evelyn in the family so were surprised to find out there had been. Rosemary is after her granny who died before we had children.

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Brittany Gibson Jul 14 at 10:35 am

I chose Evelyn because I heard it on a movie and thought how classy and elegant it sounded. I love old fashioned names and I new this was the name I wanted for her.

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Tiffany Jul 13 at 9:27 am

Our first daughter’s name is Amelia and we wanted to stick with vintage names with our second. I’ve always thought Evelyn was a very pretty name and my husband agreed, so it stuck!

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- Evelyn May 6 at 3:04 pm
  
  My name is actually Evelyn
  
  Reply
  - Evelyn Jun 20 at 5:50 pm
    
    Hi Evelyn, I’m Evelyn ! ?
    
    Reply
  - Evelyn Oct 2 at 12:13 am
    
    I’m a Evelyn too!! ??
    
    Reply
    - Evelyn Feb 20 at 7:24 pm
      
      I am Evelyn too! Hi!
      
      Reply
      - Evelyn Apr 27 at 3:33 pm
        
        I’m Evelyn too. Whats up
Sarah Jul 8 at 1:10 pm

It’s my husband’s grandmother’s name, and I like that it’s classic, and feminine, but also strong and not too girly.

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Lindsay Apr 15 at 6:40 pm

We thought long and hard.We wanted a name that would grow with our little girl–one that wasn’t too cutesy, but also wasn’t so old that it hung like an oversized shirt. Evelyn sounded regal while still being accessible, and its diminutives (e.g. Evie, Eve, Lyn) were all sweet and fun.

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Brooke Apr 12 at 11:07 am

Family name

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Ariel Apr 2 at 10:42 am

My granny’s name was Sarah Evelyn but she always went by Evelyn. She had a huge impact on my life, and she passed away at the age of 97 years old back in 2012. Ever since she passed, I told myself my first girls name would be Evelyn.

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- Evelyn Jul 1 at 10:27 pm
  
  My name is evelyn and I love the name meaning my life
  is popular
  
  Reply
Cathleen Mar 25 at 3:28 am

This was the only name my husband and I could agree on. Her middle name is Joan after his grandmother. And we didn’t know until we shared the name with his parents, but his great grandmothers name was Evelyn. So we unintentionally named her after two grandmas.

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Nicole Smith Feb 25 at 9:31 am

We chose Evelyn after my grandmother.

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Maria Felipa Dec 27 at 10:48 am

Her nickname is Evy

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Samantha Dec 17 at 8:42 pm

Loved Eve or Evie for Nick name

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Kayla Oct 12 at 11:04 pm

I stuck to e names. My first is emma grace. This one is Evelyn Rose

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Laura Sep 17 at 10:56 am

We first picked the name Evelyn after my grandmother who passed away a couple of years ago. We also just love old names! We paired it with June after my husbands grandmother.
Something I don’t love about her name is that people try to shorten it to Evie. I don’t mind that name but we named her Evelyn and I don’t want it to be shortened.

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Sarah Sep 1 at 4:59 pm

I named Evelyn after her great grandma I love older names that have strong meaning

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Haley Aug 31 at 2:14 pm

So many people in my generation are naming their children very obscure unique things just for the sake of being different. We wanted to name our daughter something feminine and that you don’t hear all the time without naming her something crazy unique like everyone else these days. We decided to go classic. Evelyn is a classic older name that’s coming back. It’s elegant and can also be shortened for a nickname. We are calling her Evie (EE-Vee) while she’s young. Ifs cute and short and easy and then as she gets older she’ll have a longer more classic feminine name to go by.

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Evelyn Aug 17 at 12:32 pm

We are a religious family and liked the name Eve. I liked Eve because she was the first mother, mother of all life. But our last name is Adams and I thought Eve Adams sounded kinda tacky. So we named her Evelyn and will just call her Eve or Evie as a nickname.

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Jessica Aug 12 at 10:19 am

I absolutely love the name Evelyn. I know no one by this name is the main reason I chose it. Come to find out my maternal grandfathers mother’s name was Evelyn and she had a sister named Louise. So I guess it’s just a family thing. 🙂

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Erica Shaeffer Jul 24 at 6:02 am

My husband and I like more classic names so we choose Evelyn.

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Keri Jul 8 at 7:44 am

I chose that name because it was my grandmother’s <3 I love it because I think it is timeless and classic and beautiful!

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Allison Jun 16 at 9:26 pm

Named after her great-grandmother (my maternal grandmother) who will turn 100 this year.

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Kathleen Jun 15 at 3:06 pm

Her full name is Evelyn Margaret. It was my great grandmothers name. My mother and I both have the middle name Margaret. I love it. Only issue is that my husband and I can not agree on the pronunciation of her nickname! We call her Evie. I say it “Ehh-vee” and he thinks it should be “Eee-vee”. So in the meantime we just tell everyone Evelyn.

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Rebekkah Jun 12 at 12:36 pm

Evelyn is my rainbow baby. She was born just a year after her older sister, Abigail, was stillborn at nearly 42 weeks gestation.

During my pregnancy with her, my husband and I struggled to even talk about names. We had one name that we talked about (Charlotte) but we had decided we weren’t naming the baby until she was born.
That turned out to be the right decision, because when we first laid eyes on our beautiful little rainbow, my husband and eye looked at eachother and almost at the same time blurted out that she wasn’t a Charlotte.
Evelyn popped into my head, and simultaneously popped out of my mouth. My husband immediately agreed, and that was that.
Three weeks after bringing Evelyn home, I discovered that the name means “wished for child” and I was really struck by that.
Although she was completely unplanned, the moment I knew she existed, my heart longed to meet her. And after losing her big sister during labor, I wished so strongly for a baby to hold and help heal my heart (I just didn’t intend to have that baby so soon!)

So, that is how my rainbow baby ended up with her name, and how the name’s meaning was unintentionally perfect for her.

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Amber Jun 12 at 11:13 am

It’s a family name.
I love the name just dont like people telling me how I should have spelled it.
I love that we named our daughter after an amazing woman and that it also is a popular name in our family from my great great greats before me.

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Michelle Jun 8 at 8:26 pm

Evelyn was my grandmother’s name. Her middle name is Rose after my husband’s grandmother. I thought naming her after our grandmothers was a beautiful way to honor them. Also, I’m a teacher and so it was really hard to come up with a name that didn’t feel like I was naming her after a student!

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- Amber Jun 12 at 11:27 am
  
  I was going to give my daughter the middle name rose but to many people who were pregnant were also doing it so we dropped it and only used judith after grandmother.
  
  Reply
Leah Jun 5 at 2:05 pm

We love the meaning: light and life. Also like that it’s old fashioned, and not super crazy, but still different than a lot of names in our area.

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Laura Apr 22 at 2:42 pm

Evelyn is my husband’s mother’s name and I think it’s beautiful! It’s becoming a more popular name which I don’t really like.

We also use a nickname, Evvie (with a short e). The nicknames get confusing and people mispronounce it often. I still love it we just spend a lot of time correcting.

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Tina Apr 11 at 4:00 pm

Evelyn means “life”, “little bird”, or “hazelnut”, depending on the origin. We thought she’d be super petite like her big sister, and she turned out to be our chunky one! Good thing the meaning we were going for was “Life”. The name fit well with Amelia, her sibling, and we paired it with the middle name Jane.

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Evelyn