Yvonne

Yvonne (like Yvette) is a French female name, the feminine equivalent of Yves. The French Yves developed from the Medieval French “Ivo” (an older version of Yves), from the Germanic element “iwa” meaning “yew”. Many etymologists believe the Germanic version was ultimately borrowed from an ancient Gaulish (Celtic) word for the yew tree, “ivos”. The yew tree was sacred to the ancient Celts and revered almost as highly as the oak. They believed the yew symbolized immortality and had certain mystical powers (which is why the ancient Celtic Druids used wood from the yew tree in the construction of their “magic” wands). There were two important Saint Ivos (Yves) in France, one in the 11th century and one in the 13th century, the latter being a patron saint of Brittany (a Celtic community in northwest France). It was these two holy men who helped perpetuate the names Ivo and then Yves throughout France in the Middle Ages. Yvon originally developed as a masculine diminutive of Ivo in the Middle Ages and Yvonne became the female form. As a diminutive, Yvonne could be said to mean “little yew”. The English embraced this name in the 19th century, although it’s no longer popular today.