Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Evelyn

Evelyn is an English female name with a couple possible etymologies. First of all, it is often considered a diminutive of “Eve” (essentially the very first female name on the planet earth if one is to take the Bible literally). Fittingly, Eve comes from the Hebrew “Hawah” meaning “a living being” from the verb “hayah” meaning “to live” (which apparently sounds suspiciously close to the Arabic word for “serpent”). Secondly, Evelyn developed into a metronymic surname from the Old French Aveline (a female name brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066). Aveline is a French diminutive of the Old High German Avila from the ancient Germanic element “avi-“ of unknown origin (speculated to mean “desired, wished for”). The English may have also borrowed Evelyn from the Irish Eibhlín (pronounced ev-len) which is the Gaelic rendering of the Old French Aveline. As mention above, Evelyn started out as a surname in England and then developed into a given name for both boys and girls (think: English novelist Evelyn Waugh). Today, it is far more widely bestowed upon girls than boys and almost exclusively considered a female name. Among English speaking nations, Evelyn is currently most popular in the United States, followed by Canada, Australia and England.

All About the Baby Name – Evelyn

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME EVELYN

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME EVELYN

The name Evelyn has experienced a real revival in the past 10 years. Back at the turn of the 20th century more than 100 years ago, Evelyn was at her peak popularity and a top 20 favorite choice between the years 1907 and 1932. The name fell off the Top 100 list in 1954 and pretty much saw backwards momentum down the charts until the 1990s. However, as we’ve entered the 21st century, Evelyn has thankfully reared her lovely head once again achieving a spot on America’s Top 100 list in 2002. In 2009 she hit the Top 50 and today she’s hovering right around the Top 25 mark. It’s not surprising when you look at the fashionable 21st century naming styles for baby girls which favor these “old lady” names of 100 years ago. Antique charm is all the rage as evidenced by Emma, Olivia, Chloe, Lillian and Grace. The high popularity and now commonplace usage of these names are recreating them as modern darlings. And Evelyn is no exception.

Quick Facts

ON EVELYN

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

20

PRONUNCIATION:

EV-ə-lin

SIMPLE MEANING:

A living being (Eve); Desired, wished for

Characteristics

OF EVELYN

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Evelyn

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME EVELYN

Evelyn Nesbit is a real life character who was fictionalized in E. L. Doctorow’s best-seller, Ragtime, published in 1975, which was also adapted into a film and a musical. (Florence) Evelyn Nesbit is an impoverished, but beautiful, young girl at the turn of the century who makes it big as an artists’ model (one of the famous “Gibson Girls”) and an actress. She was involved in the most scandalous crime of the young century when her husband, disturbed millionaire, Harry K. Thaw, shot and killed her one-time lover, Stanford White, a renowned architect. At trial, having been promised a million dollars by Thaw’s mother, Evelyn perjured herself, testifying that she had been raped by White and that Harry was avenging her honor. Thaw was sentenced to an asylum for the criminally insane and later freed, but Mother Shaw reneged on her promise to poor little Evelyn. Nesbit enjoyed moderate success on the stage, married again and had a son, overcame alcoholism, drug addiction and depression, and left this mortal coil in 1967 at the age of 82. In 1955 she served as a technical advisor for the film of her famous escapades, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, starring Joan Collins. This is practically the stuff of fiction already – how to improve on that?! In addition to introducing a couple of tame plot lines involving Nesbit, Doctorow has her represent the changing sexual and societal role of women at the dawn of the new century – and how!

Evelyn Cross is the female lead in Roman Polanski’s 1974 noir film, Chinatown, based on a script by Robert Towne. In a multi-layered , psychologically gripping plot involving murder, incest, kidnapping and municipal theft, Evelyn (played by Faye Dunaway) becomes involved with Jake Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson), the Los Angeles detective whom someone had hired to find evidence of Mr. Mulwray’s marital infidelity. Evelyn has been ill-used by life, but for a brief period of time, she is able to enjoy a semblance of normal joy and intimacy with Jake. A flawed character himself, Jake is able to draw out of her the terrible familial secret that drives her entire life, and offers up the possibility of redemption and salvation. Fate and the screenplay have other intentions, however, and in a tragic denouement, all hopes are dashed for Evelyn. It was said that the producer, Robert Evans, wanted a happy ending – if you watch this classic, you will be glad he did not have his way.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME EVELYN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Evelyn


Popular Songs

ON EVELYN

Evelyn
a song by Flybanger

Evelyn is Not Real
a song by My Morning Jacket

Existing In a Crisis (Evelyn)
a song by Bayside

Famous People

NAMED EVELYN

Evelyn Ankers (actress)
Evelyn Brent (actress)
Evelyn De Morgan (artist)
Evelyn Keyes (actress)
Evelyn King (singer)
Evelyn Lear (opera singer)
Evelyn Nesbit (model/actress)
Evelyn Preer (pioneering African- American actress)
Evelyn Tubb (soprano singer)
Evelyn Waugh (novelist)
Evelyn Ankers (actress)
Evelyn Brent (actress)
Evelyn De Morgan (artist)
Evelyn Keyes (actress)
Evelyn King (singer)
Evelyn Lear (opera singer)
Evelyn Nesbit (model/actress)
Evelyn Preer (pioneering African- American actress)
Evelyn Tubb (soprano singer)
Evelyn Waugh (novelist)
Evelyn Ankers (actress)
Evelyn Brent (actress)
Evelyn De Morgan (artist)
Evelyn Keyes (actress)
Evelyn King (singer)
Evelyn Lear (opera singer)
Evelyn Nesbit (model/actress)
Evelyn Preer (pioneering African- American actress)
Evelyn Tubb (soprano singer)
Evelyn Waugh (novelist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED EVELYN

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME EVELYN

Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh is the quintessential British man of letters of a certain era. Oxford educated, Evelyn cultivated many aristocratic friends and never left the English country house scene behind, detailing it in his many novels, most particularly Brideshead Revisited (1945). During his college years, Evelyn led the almost expected life of dissipation of the upper class male, indulging in drink, drugs, and sexual adventures on both sides of the street. He decided upon the heterosexual marriage route (well, who wouldn’t, in 1928?) and married Evelyn Gardner. The marriage was very brief, severed by her infidelity, or so they say – it is our opinion that he could not countenance the fact that they, as a couple, were referred to as “She-Evelyn” and He-Evelyn” – grounds enough for divorce. After this, Evelyn (He) began his transition toward conversion into the Roman Catholic Church, the culmination of which would mark his fiction for the rest of his days. Evelyn Waugh served in the British armed forces in World War II, and used his experiences in his fiction as well as in his journalism and travel writing. Remarrying in 1937 (to a cousin of She-Evelyn), Evelyn and Laura Herbert Waugh parented seven children. Often depicted as anti-Semitic, conservative and curmudgeonly in his later years, Evelyn Waugh nonetheless left an enduring legacy of elegant and stylistic prose that has more than weathered the tests of time.