Name of the Day: Eve
She’s the original woman – Adam’s rib.
Thanks to Rhea for suggesting the Biblical, beguiling Eve as Name of the Day.
Flip open your Bible to the Book of Genesis and you’ll find that after God created the World, he got busy creating we little people. The first man was Adam. He gave up a rib and got himself a helpmeet – Eve.
Her name comes from either the Hebrew chawah – to breathe – or chayah – to live. (Variant spellings abound.) Some link her back to an ancient Hurrian goddess, Heba or Kheba, from as early as 2500 BC.
But we don’t think much about those associations. Instead, we remember Eve for earning both her and Adam a one-way ticket out of paradise to the real world, replete with death and taxes and traffic jams and celebrity offspring named Apple.
For generations, parents avoided Eve, as well as the Latin Eva. But you’ll find her here and again, even in the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Eva took off, helped in part by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s character, Little Eva, in her 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Eva appeared in the Top 100 from the late nineteenth century into the 1930s. She slipped for a few decades, but has been gaining since 1997, reaching #114 in 2008. Meanwhile, her single-syllable sister has languished, rarely appearing in the US Top 500, and ranking a mere #655 in 2008.
That’s not to say you won’t hear Eve. She features in a number of names, including:
- Evelyn, #54
- Evangeline, #450
- Evelin, #811
- Evie, #853
Add all the Ev- names together, and you’ll find nearly 10,000 girls sharing that first syllable – less than Elizabeth, more than Victoria. And while Evie is seldom heard on our shores, she’s a favorite among nickname-loving Brits, ranking in the Top 20 in the UK. (If you follow Bewildertrix, you’ll note that she pops up in quite a few Australian and New Zealand birth announcements, too.)
The whole first woman bit has a scientific twist, too. Researchers refer to Mitochondrial Eve – the female ancestor of all living humans, stretching back 150,000 to 250,000 years BC.
Fast forward to 1950 Hollywood, and there’s the Oscar-winning All About Eve. Aging Broadway star Margo (played by Bette Davis) befriends young fan Eve. Trouble is, Eve is a schemer and soon usurps Margo’s latest gig and her beloved. By the end, Eve has everything that once belonged to Margo – even a young fan of her own.
Eve has been worn by a cigarette, a volcano, more than one rock band and comic book character and a few real people, too. There’s wrestler Eve Torres and rapper/designer/actress Eve.
But it may be two unrelated words that are Eve’s downfall – and salvation. Eve is not related to evil – that word comes to use via the Old English yfel. She’s also not related to word for evening. That comes to us from the Old English aefen. Since the 1200s, an eve has been the day preceding a feast – Christmas Eve, for example.
Maybe it’s that last meaning that makes Eve so wearable – she’s almost a day name, but she’s nearly as spare as Jane or Anne. So if you’re seeking simple, but still want the tiniest hint of an edge, Eve is one to consider.
Filed under: Biblical Babes, Names for Girls, Names of the Day, Silver Screen | 12 Comments
Tags: Apple, Eva, Evangeline, Eve, Evelin, Evelyn, Evie
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I loved Eve, but DH vetoed. I think it’s so fresh and simple, yet classic. I also love the Spanish nickname Evita. (That may have been the very reason, though, that DH vetoed it — too associated with the musical — which he knows I love.)
Evita, Evita, Evita … I love the musical, too! I’m going to have lyrics running through my head all day …
I love Eve, especially in this day of too many Avas! I also think Eva is great. The only thing that prevents me from using either is that I like a name to be a bit more substantial.
I keep going back and forth between using Evangeline or Eva. Eva would be used as a nickname for Evangeline anyway, but being a non-believer, I wanted to know if it seemed too weird that a name highly connected with evangelicals would be used by an atheist/agnostic. Your thoughts?
I long loved Evangeline, even in my heathen days. (I’m an adult convert to Catholicism. Which shocks even me.) At any rate, I think of Evangeline as a gothic, Edgar Allen Poe-esque name, not a religious one. Even though it’s clearly right there in the word.
My only reason for not using Evangeline is that I’m not wild about the possible nn Angie – though Vangie seems strangely appealing. I have a general rule that I won’t use a name if I dislike a potential nn.
The other thing is that I don’t know of any evangelicals who have used Evangeline – Nevaeh, yes. And Faith and Hope. But Evangeline, not so much.
My husband and I somewhat seriously considered Evangeline when trying to name our daughter. Incidentally, Evangeline Lilly comes from an evangelical family, although her first name is actually Nicole. (She went by Nicole before getting into the TV industry — I have a couple friends who worked with her at a Bible camp).
My circle of acquaintances includes one couple with a little Evelyn and one who have selected Guinevere for there future daughter with the intention of calling her Evie for short.
The fact that Angie could be used as a nickname is actually a plus for me, even though I wouldn’t use it, because my sister’s name is Angel. The slight connection to Evangeline does tempt me further.
Damn, my post meant to say Angela. My sister’s name is Angela, not Angel.
Oh, and I don’t think using Evangeline would be weird even if you’re a non-believer, considering that it’s the title of a somewhat famous Longfellow poem.
Eve is sweet, soft and even fresh. I am surprised that she just isn’t as common as the other Biblical names are. She is the first woman in the Bible. In Continental Europe, she has been a staple.
I’m thinking Eve is pretty awesome right about now.
I love Eve (Charlotte Eve is on my list ) & I ADORE & have for years Evangeline. Evangeline is on my list as Isla Evangeline & the middle name for Evangeline as a name alternates, though it’s been Evangeline Jade for the last few months
I think Eve is a gorgeous name that will age well & Evie as a nn is precious. I know some Christians who aren’t as fond of Eve because she led Adam into sin etc. That account in the Bible doesn’t bug me – I blame it on the serpent.
If I were to use it, it’s be as a middle name as there are more names that I like for a first place