Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Eva

Eva is the Latinate form of Eve, and the standard Biblical form in several European languages. In Judea-Christian tradition, we all know Eve as the first woman created by God from Adam’s ribs (hey, it’s better than being formed out of “the dust from the ground” as Adam was). Eve comes from the Hebrew “Hawwah” meaning “a living being” from the root “hawa” meaning “he lived”. In fact, Adam named Eve himself in Genesis 3:20: “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Eva is also considered an anglicized form of the Irish “Aoife” (pronounced EE-fah) meaning “radiant, beautiful, pleasant” (a name which appears in ancient Irish mythology). See the name Aoife for more detail. Lastly, some people consider Eva merely a short form of names like Evangeline and Evelyn. In most cases, however, Eva is pretty much associated with Eve from the Bible. The name is currently quite popular all over the Western World. And we mean everywhere. From Slovenia to Northern Ireland. From the Netherlands to Scotland and France. It’s a favorite down under in Australia and a top choice on the Iberian Peninsula. They love Eva in Croatia, Canada, Austria, Ireland, England and Norway. Even though Eva is a Top 100 in the United States today, it’s actually the least popular here!

All About the Baby Name – Eva

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME EVA

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME EVA

Eva experienced the height of her popularity at the turn of the 20th century (over 100 years ago), when she was a Top 50 choice for American baby girls. The name’s popularity started a gradual yet consistent decline over the ensuing 60+ years until she finally started to rebound in the late 1990s. Over the last 15 years, Eva has regained ground by recapturing her earlier positions on the charts and, in fact, re-achieved Top 100 standing in 2009 for the first time in 75 years. Eva is clearly following her more popular sister, Ava, in the revival of classical names loaded with antique-charm. Ava is still five-times more popular than Eva, but that just makes Eva more attractive to some parents wanting something a little less common. We also love Eva as a pet form for Evangeline.

Quick Facts

ON EVA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

88

PRONUNCIATION:

EE-vah

SIMPLE MEANING:

A living being

Characteristics

OF EVA

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Eva

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME EVA

Eva “Evangeline” St. Clare is the angelic young heroine of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s great abolitionist novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852. Saved from drowning in the river by the black slave, Uncle Tom, she persuades her father to purchase him, and later, to set him free. Although she is only a child of 5 or 6, she is wise beyond her years and, of course, good beyond any other earthling. Her gentle ways convert even the most hardened souls to the ideals of Christianity, most notably the raffish little slave girl, Topsy (a refreshingly wicked little character). Little Eva was adored by readers, who not only wept copiously at her sentimental death scene, but went even farther in homage by naming their newborn daughters “Eva” by the scores.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME EVA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Eva


Popular Songs

ON EVA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Eva


Famous People

NAMED EVA

Eva Herzigová (supermodel)
Eva Perón (political leader)
Eva Longoria (actress)
Eva Mendes (actress)
Eva Gabor (actress)
Eva LaRue (actress)
Eva Herzigová (supermodel)
Eva Perón (political leader)
Eva Longoria (actress)
Eva Mendes (actress)
Eva Gabor (actress)
Eva LaRue (actress)
Eva Herzigová (supermodel)
Eva Perón (political leader)
Eva Longoria (actress)
Eva Mendes (actress)
Eva Gabor (actress)
Eva LaRue (actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED EVA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Eva

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME EVA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Eva