Evelyn

Evelyn: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “desired; little bird”
Origin: English
Say it: EV-uh-lin · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Used in English from a surname derived from the Norman French name Aveline. Its deeper meaning is debated; Aveline is often linked to a Germanic root, while folk association with Latin avis 'bird' also exists.

English names French names Names meaning hope Names meaning bird Classic names Vintage names Literary names

How popular is Evelyn?

20242,741 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Evelyn in 20249,122

2024 rank#8 girls

Peak year1907

Total US babies since 1880632,472

Evelyn has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Evelyn

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Evelynndesired; water, island · English
Evalyndesired; wished for child · English
Oliviaolive tree · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
Lilylily flower · English

Evelyn questions

What does the name Evelyn mean?

Evelyn means "desired; little bird". It comes from English. Used in English from a surname derived from the Norman French name Aveline. Its deeper meaning is debated; Aveline is often linked to a Germanic root, while folk association with Latin avis 'bird' also exists.

Is Evelyn a boy or girl name?

Evelyn is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Evelyn?

9,122 US babies were named Evelyn in 2024. Its peak year was 1907.

How do you pronounce Evelyn?

Evelyn is usually pronounced EV-uh-lin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.