Girl's name
Evelyn
Say it EV-uh-lin
Germanic origin possibly desired, wished for
3 syllables
Where Evelyn is loved, common and rare
Common across the UK, Ontario, British Columbia and seven more places. Rare in Norway, Quebec, four German cities and seven more places.
1 in 162 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
England and Wales 12thOntario 12thBritish Columbia 12th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 25 of the 40 official lists, among them England and Wales (12th), Ontario (12th) and British Columbia (12th).
Show all 25 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria state | 11th 2025 | 221 | rank only |
| England and Wales | 12th 2025 | 1,560 | 1 in 162 |
| Ontario province | 12th 2024 | 344 | about 1 in 158 |
| British Columbia province | 12th 2023 | 90 | about 1 in 133 |
| New South Wales state | 13th 2025 | 245 | rank only |
| Queensland state | 17th 2025 | 158 | rank only |
| New Zealand | 23rd 2025 | 100 | rank only |
| South Australia state | 23rd 2025 | 48 | rank only |
| Scotland | 86th 2025 | 49 | 1 in 365 |
| Ireland | 94th 2025 | 52 | 1 in 406 |
| Northern Ireland | 96th 2025 | 21 | 1 in 347 |
| Italy | 98th 2024 | 319 | 1 in 562 |
| Norway | 152nd 2025 | 33 | 1 in 660 |
| Quebec province | 162nd 2025 | 35 | about 1 in 743 |
| Berlin city | 173rd 2023 | 18 | about 1 in 806 |
| Sweden | 231st 2025 | 35 | about 1 in 1,148 |
| Switzerland | 257th 2025 | 27 | 1 in 1,259 |
| Austria | 290th 2025 | 19 | 1 in 1,880 |
| Cologne city | 419th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 3,072 |
| Catalonia region | 526th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 3,854 |
| The Netherlands | 541st 2025 | 23 | about 1 in 2,653 |
| Israel אוולין | 605th 2024 | 13 | about 1 in 6,036 |
| France | 1275th 2025 | 25 | 1 in 11,472 |
| Leipzig city | 212th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,312 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: Munich, Rostock, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); SA Attorney-General's Department, Births, Deaths and Marriages (data.sa.gov.au) (South Australia); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); NISRA (Northern Ireland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Evelyn comes from Middle English forms of the Old French name Aveline, a diminutive built on a Germanic root whose meaning is uncertain: possibly 'desired, wished for'. It was later linked by folk etymology to Eve, and Eileen is a twin form.
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It has three syllables, EV-uh-lin. Ev is a short form, and Evelina, Eveline and Evelynn are variants.
Evelyn is among the leading names in Victoria, in England and Wales, and in Ontario. Its long history shows in the records: in Ontario and British Columbia it was at its height at the very start of the records in the 1920s. Now it is climbing again, rising in many more places than it is falling.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- EV-uh-lin, 3 syllables
- Meaning
possibly desired, wished for
- Origin
- Germanic
- Other spellings
- Ava
- Evelina
- Ewelina
- Evelin
- Evelyne
- Eileen
- Ev
- Eveleen
- Eveline
- Evelynn
- Everlyn
- Eveliina
- Eibhlín
Etymology
From Middle English forms of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for” (compare Latin avēre, "to wish for") or aval “strength”. By folk etymology also misunderstood as a diminutive of the feminine given name Eve. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 9 of 24 regions, falling in 2.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 27 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 13 | 20 | 12 |
| Scotland | 159 | 139 | 109 | 91 | 124 | 105 | 80 | 75 | 120 | 86 |
| Northern Ireland | 129 | 150 | 130 | 157 | 149 | 89 | 114 | 102 | 75 | 96 |
| Ireland | 101 | 95 | 94 | 96 | 88 | 91 | 76 | 89 | 85 | 94 |
| Ontario | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | |
| British Columbia | 10 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | ||
| Nova Scotia | 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 11 | ||
| New South Wales | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| Victoria | 16 | 16 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 15 | 17 | 11 |
| Queensland | 10 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 17 |
| South Australia | 21 | 19 | 31 | 15 | 14 | 30 | 31 | 13 | 17 | 23 |
| New Zealand | 21 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 31 | 26 | 26 | 12 | 21 | 23 |
| Quebec | 245 | 157 | 168 | 180 | 194 | 184 | 176 | 177 | 179 | 162 |
| France | 2573 | 3622 | 2516 | 1433 | 1984 | 1640 | 2504 | 1879 | 1841 | 1275 |
| The Netherlands | 503 | 586 | 562 | 481 | 399 | 444 | 648 | 356 | 541 | |
| Austria | 336 | 291 | 240 | 192 | 380 | 205 | 269 | 309 | 274 | 290 |
| Switzerland | 492 | 570 | 427 | 333 | 561 | 370 | 645 | 391 | 357 | 257 |
| Berlin | 204 | 223 | 266 | 277 | 299 | 325 | 191 | 173 | ||
| Munich | 160 | 178 | 217 | 258 | 157 | |||||
| Cologne | 470 | 433 | 349 | 174 | 320 | 322 | 252 | 419 | ||
| Bonn | 512 | 365 | 158 | 239 | 136 | 362 | 382 | |||
| Leipzig | 411 | 131 | 186 | 406 | 405 | 254 | 215 | 143 | 212 | |
| Rostock | 283 | 202 | 199 | 126 | 133 | 174 | 158 | |||
| Norway | 257 | 238 | 169 | 157 | 176 | 181 | 144 | 178 | 191 | 152 |
| Sweden | 214 | 195 | 254 | 230 | 202 | 207 | 191 | 242 | 244 | 231 |
| Catalonia | 450 | 290 | 319 | 275 | 323 | 395 | 335 | 611 | 468 | 526 |
| Italy | 146 | 141 | 118 | 128 | 123 | 103 | 104 | 100 | 98 | |
| Slovenia | 239 | 202 | ||||||||
| Israel | 509 | 665 | 512 | 643 | 735 | 648 | 789 | 868 | 605 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 1,560 | 615.9 |
| 2024 | 20 | 1,512 | 586.1 |
| 2023 | 13 | 1,673 | 652.1 |
| 2022 | 22 | 1,560 | 592.0 |
| 2021 | 21 | 1,729 | 630.9 |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,709 | 636.7 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,761 | 628.8 |
| 2018 | 19 | 1,902 | 659.8 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,967 | 657.7 |
| 2016 | 27 | 1,877 | 611.1 |
| 2015 | 28 | 1,770 | 574.8 |
| 2014 | 31 | 1,506 | 491.1 |
| 2013 | 45 | 1,227 | 397.8 |
| 2012 | 57 | 1,034 | 321.1 |
| 2011 | 65 | 871 | 271.1 |
| 2010 | 87 | 701 | 218.4 |
| 2009 | 85 | 723 | 230.7 |
| 2008 | 89 | 660 | 209.0 |
| 2007 | 100 | 534 | 174.4 |
| 2006 | 125 | 428 | 143.0 |
| 2005 | 139 | 388 | 134.6 |
| 2004 | 157 | 338 | 118.2 |
| 2003 | 184 | 254 | 91.1 |
| 2002 | 212 | 201 | 75.2 |
| 2001 | 246 | 161 | 60.1 |
| 2000 | 371 | 87 | 31.8 |
| 1999 | 338 | 95 | 33.7 |
| 1998 | 380 | 85 | 29.4 |
| 1997 | 404 | 78 | 26.6 |
| 1996 | 402 | 80 | 27.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Evelyn in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1968. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1925, at 1,132.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Evelyn per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 1925 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Evelyn
1 in 335 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 325 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Evelyn. Same first letter as Evelyn.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 142 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 175 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 326 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Evelyn. Same first letter as Evelyn.
1 in 1,789 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Evelyn. Same first letter as Evelyn.
1 in 240 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
1 in 284 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Evelyn.
Middle names for Evelyn
1 in 71 in Scotland
Evelyn Olivia
3-4 beats · initials EO
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Evelyn Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials EC
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Evelyn Sophie
3-2 beats · initials ES
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Evelyn Grace
3-1 beats · initials EG
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Evelyn Anna
3-2 beats · initials EA
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Evelyn Alice
3-2 beats · initials EA
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Evelyn Amelia
3-4 beats · initials EA
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Evelyn Emma
3-2 beats · initials EE
Changes the beat after Evelyn: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
Same style as Evelyn
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 326 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 325 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 239 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 124 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 240 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
1 in 118 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Evelyn across countries and decades.
Famous people named Evelyn
Evelyn Beatrice Hall, Evelyn Ashford, Evelyn Glennie, Evelyn De Morgan, Evelyn Keyes, Evelyn Fox Keller, Evelyn Sharma and Evelyn Berezin.
Show all 8Show less
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English writer 1868 to 1956
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American sprinter born 1957
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Scottish percussionist and composer (born 1967) born 1965
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Pre-Raphaelite artist (1993- (1855–1919)
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American film actress (1916-2008)
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American physicist, author and feminist 1936 to 2023
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Indo-German actress born 1989
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American computer scientist (1925–2018)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Evelyn
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Evelyn?
Her best rank is No. 11 in Victoria in 2025. She is in the published lists of 25 of our 40 regions.
What does Evelyn mean?
Wiktionary glosses Evelyn as "possibly desired, wished for".
How do you pronounce Evelyn?
EV-uh-lin, with 3 syllables.
Is Evelyn getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 9 of 24 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Evelyn?
The deck's top five sisters for Evelyn: Harriet, Elizabeth, Alice, Daisy and Matilda. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.