Are you considering naming your baby girl Evelyn and curious about the background and meaning of this beautiful classic girl's name? Interestingly, scholars generally seem to agree on the origin of Evelyn, but its meaning is under debate.
Proposed meanings for Evelyn include "wished for", "desired", "life", "living", "radiance", "beauty", "hazelnut," "little bird," and "strength", with some being better supported by etymological evidence than others.
Below, we take a closer look at the origin of Evelyn and examine the theories behind each proposed meaning, so you can make an informed choice for your child.
Serious etymological sources, such as Hanks' Dictionary of American Family Names and Parkin's Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, typically trace the roots of the name Evelyn to the Old French Aveline [1-3]. Aveline, in turn, is believed to derive from the Germanic name Avo/Ava, based on the element avi, perhaps meaning "wished for" or "desired." [1, 2]
The theory is that the Normans introduced Aveline into England, where it transformed into Evelyn and took hold as a surname, and later evolved into a given name.
As a given name, Evelyn was initially used as a boy's name, with English aristocrat Duke Evelyn Pierrepont (born 1665) being one of the notable early bearers of the name [4]. Although Evelyn is still occasionally given to baby boys, it is now much more commonly used as a girl's name [5].
As is the case with many old English surnames, Evelyn also appears as a place name, with several locations bearing the name in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
While Evelyn is not a biblical name per se, it can carry a biblical resonance. After all, it shares the better part of it with the first biblical woman, Eve.
Biblical scholars generally interpret Eve's name as related to "life," with the exact meaning often given as "life" or "living." [6]
While it's not out of bounds to name your baby girl Evelyn and say it's in honor of the biblical character, be aware that the connection between Evelyn and Eve is not so much etymological as it is associative. Rather than reflecting a historical linguistic derivation, the Evelyn–Eve connection appears to rest mainly on phonetic similarity and cultural reinterpretation.
Evelyn can also be viewed through an Irish lens. The Irish name Éibhleann (or Éibhliu), sometimes anglicized as Evlin, bears a striking resemblance to Evelyn in both sound and spelling.
Éibhleann is believed to derive from the Old Irish word óiph, meaning "radiance" or "beauty" [7].
Although the connection may be coincidental, it adds a layer of Celtic resonance to the name Evelyn, especially in Irish contexts where such phonetic overlap may encourage reinterpretation.
While the most commonly used French word for hazelnut is noisette, there's also another French word for hazelnut, and that just happens to be aveline. The French word aveline ultimately traces its roots to the Latin word abellinae, meaning hazelnut, which in turn is related to Abella (Avella) and Abellinum (Avellino), the names of two towns where hazelnuts were cultivated during Roman times. [8]
We know that the Latin word abellinae was already in use in the early centuries AD [8], but it was the 18th-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus who sealed the connection between the nut and its common name by formally naming the hazel tree Corylus avellana.
In Spanish, the common word for hazelnut is still avellana, a present-day reminder of the ancient origins of the word.
What's interesting, however, is that most onomastic sources seem to dismiss the idea that the name Aveline, the predecessor of Evelyn, could have come from the Latin word for hazelnut. Instead, they maintain that the roots of the name Aveline lie in the Germanic name Avo (or Ava) and the element avi.
Still, for a modern baby namer drawn to the natural charm of the hazelnut, Evelyn remains a possibility. Even if the etymological evidence is lacking, the phonetic and symbolic connections between Aveline and the word for hazelnut are strong enough to offer a perfectly valid, if creative, way to associate the name Evelyn with the meaning "hazelnut."
Yet another theory suggests that the name Aveline—the root of Evelyn—could be connected to the Old French and Middle English name Avice (or Avis) [3], which comes from the Latin word avis, meaning "bird."
The diminutive suffix -ine in French often indicates smallness or affection, which explains how the meaning "little bird" became associated with Aveline and, by extension, Evelyn.
As if the etymology of Evelyn weren't complicated enough, let's add another theory to the mix. While not particularly popular in academic circles, this theory—which suggests a link between the Evelyn-Aveline name line and the Old High German word aval—can be found on baby name websites and forums.
Aval means "strength" [9], so it's easy to see the appeal of this interpretation, even if its historical basis is questionable.
While the evidence for Evelyn's origins as a derivative of the Old French Aveline is well-established, the meaning of the name Evelyn is less clear. Even the commonly cited meanings "wished for" and "desired" are under debate and lack definitive linguistic proof.
In the end, however, the meaning of a name often goes beyond etymology. While historical roots can provide fascinating insights, they don't necessarily determine what a name signifies to the people who use it.
For many parents, the meaning of Evelyn is personal—shaped by sound, symbolism, family associations, or cultural references. Like many names, Evelyn allows for a range of possible interpretations, and its true meaning may ultimately be the one you choose to give it.