Evelyn

Meaning: Possibly wished for, or strength (uncertain)
Origin: From Germanic via Old French

Nicknames: Evie, Evvie

Girl's name · #8 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Popularity over time

Evelyn was #10 in 1915, slipped to #289 by 1977, and reached #8 in 2024 and has held it since. About 640,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Evelyn is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states, the #1 girl's name in 1 of them. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Evelyn ranks in other countries and regions.

#11 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #12 in England & Wales (2025) · #13 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #17 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #23 in New Zealand (2025) · #49 in Mexico (2024) · #86 in Scotland (2025) · #94 in Ireland (2025) · #100 in N. Ireland (2025) · #153 in Norway (2025) · #167 in Ecuador (2025) · #231 in Sweden (2025) and 6 more.

Famous Evelyns

Evelyn Beatrice Hall — English writer
Evelyn Ashford — American sprinter
Evelyn Glennie — Scottish percussionist and composer (born 1965)
Evelyn Keyes — American film actress
Evelyn De Morgan — British painter (1855–1919)

In stories & tradition

Evelyn Salt — Salt (film)
Evelyn MacGuire — Home and Away (TV series)
Evelyn Harper^it — Two and a Half Men (TV series)

What Evelyns become

Among 1,206 notable people named Evelyn:

Medical professionals appear 1.56× more often than among typical names — e.g. Evelyn Mase, South African nurse and first wife of Nelson Mandela (1922–2004).

Twin names

A popular twin pairing with Evelyn is Emily for a girl.

Spellings & nicknames

About 1,100 girls a year are given Evie as their full name.

Similar names: Amelia · Everly · Charlotte · Eleanor · Violet · Lucy

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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