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Baby Name of the Day: Evelyn

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Mid-1920s promotional image issued by Film Boo...

Silent Film Star Evelyn Brent; Image via Wikipedia

Ask me to name a name I think we’ll see in the Top Ten soon and this ends-in-lyn choice would be my pick.

Thanks to Sara A. for suggesting the ever so fashionable Evelyn as Baby Name of the Day.

Go ahead. Shout. Yell. Through things at the screen.

“But Evelyn is a boys’ name!”

If that’s out of your system, follow me back in time. While many surnames indicate the father’s name – Jameson or Johnson, to name just two – others suggest the mother’s moniker. Evelyn is one such surname that comes to us via a female name, in this case Aveline. Parents today are rediscovering Aveline as something of an Ava–Adeline smoosh. But she’s actually related an old Germanic element, avi – desired, or possibly to the Latin avis – bird.

Avila, Avelina, Aveline, Evelina, and Evelyn were just a few of the variants in use for girls in medieval England. Evelina got a boost in 1778 when Fanny Burney’s debut novel used the name for its title character.

Between the Middle Ages and the bestseller, Evelyn had been adopted for boys, likely through the surname. The first one I found was born in the mid-1600s. Evelyn Pierrepont, the Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull. He passed his name onto a daughter, and a grandson, too.

His contemporary, John Evelyn, was among the world’s first conservationists. In 1661, he wrote about air pollution issues in London; he was also known for encouraging the planting of trees. Evelyn was one of the scientists who co-founded the Royal Society in 1660. His surname was used for Evelyn College, the women’s college at Princeton, as well as the corporate name Crabtree & Evelyn.

Then came the novelist Evelyn Waugh, born in 1903. Brideshead Revisited, published in 1945, is among his best known works. Here’s a trivia fact: his first marriage was to a woman named Evelyn.

Into the early twentieth century, we can find plenty of men named Evelyn. But by the early 1900s, the tide changed. Evelyn ranked in the US girls’ Top 100 from the 1890s through the 1950s, peaking at #10 in 1915.

Famous female Evelyns include:

  • Evelyn Ay was 1954’s Miss America;
  • Evelyn Brent was a silent film star – though she was born Betty Riggs;
  • Evelyn Preer was an early African-American film star, crossing from silent film to talkies and the stage;
  • There’s also actress Evelyn Keyes, who had a long career playing supporting roles in Hollywood successes like Gone With the Wind and The Seven Year Itch;
  • Disco gave us Evelyn “Champagne” King;
  • You might remember seeing runner Evelyn Ashford win gold in the 1984 Olympics;
  • Soprano Evelyn Lear and ballerina Evelyn Hart add an artistic edge.

Artists, writers, academics, and politicians round out the list. No wonder – Evelyn has never left the US Top 1000, and even when she was out of fashion, she only fell to #289 in 1977.

Today, nearly any name with a V is in vogue. Evelyn appeals to parents who want something longer than Eve, Eva, or Ava, and like her gentle, antique feel. She’s also at home with respellings like Madelyn and nouveau coinages like Gracelyn. Variant Evalyn has some history, too, and is generating plenty of interest. (The heiress who donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian was Evalyn McLean.)

In 2002, she ranked #98; by 2009, #39. She’s often heard on discussion forums. And so Evelyn is almost certainly headed to a playground near you.

More names you might like:

Comments

  2. I waver between “blech!” and “meh”. I don’t like -lyn names. Exception: Marilyn.

    While it’s not my bag on either sex, I do get a kick out of seeing it as middle on a few male “Telegraphian” babies along with Vivian and Jocelyn.

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  3. I adore Evelyn! I think it is beautiful, feminine and old fashioned-three of my most important name traits. I also like Evelina. I love Evie as a nickname, too. All of the Evelyn’s I know are female, so it took me a long time realize that Evelyn Waugh was a man! *blush* I would use Evelyn in a heartbeat, and it isn’t at all popular where I live. Everyone here is still fixated on ‘created’ names and Ava/Olivia/Isabella, et al.

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  5. I love Evelyn! But she’s just TOO popular for me now. I had a great-aunt Evelyn that helped my parents get married when her sister (my grandmother) refused.

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  6. There is a little Evelyne Claire in my son’s play group. I quite like it. Fun fact: Aveline means ‘hazelnut’ or ‘filbert’ in French, though the more commonly used name is noisette.

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  7. My great grandmother’s name was Mary Evelyn. For years, I had Evelyn towards the top of my list to honor her. Now it’s just too common for my preferences. It has all the markings of name on the rise. I do love Aveline, though.

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  8. The name sounds all girl to me – with the ‘Eve’ beginning and then -lyn ending. Plus I know a 30ish Mom Evelyn and an (unrelated) 3 year old Evelyn.

    I do like the old fashioned vibe. Though the -lyn names, aren’t my favourite, what with people using the sounds in their own favourite mash-up sound combinations. I spotted a Belynn and an Adilyn recently – both age 2, at the library. (They weren’t related.)

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  9. I used to really like the name Evelyn, until I mentioned that to my mom. Since she acted as if I like was planning to name her grandchild Beulah or Etheldreda and she rarely reacts that way to a name, I’m steering clear of Evelyn.

    I still like Evie as a nickname…

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  10. Despite being one who supports names like Kelly and Robin for boys, Evelyn is one that I have conceded to the girl’s side. Overall it’s not a favorite of mine, nor is it one that I dislike.

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  11. Evelyn is not in the top ten yet? 😉

    I agree, this is one I can definitely see rising, I have already run into several little girls with this name.

    I know it may have been used on males occassionally, but it sounds female to me. Could you imagine a boy called Evie? Not, definitely better on females, and the fact that it actually started off as female makes me rest my case 😉

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  12. I first started loving the name when KAte Beckinsale played the beautiful Evelyn in the much-publicized ‘Pearl Harbor.’ I’m betting that the film had some influence in bringing the name back.

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  13. I love the name Evelyn and would put it on my list if it weren’t becoming so popular. I generally pronounce the name “EV-e-lyn”, but I believe Waugh’s name is supposed to be said “EVE-e-lyn”. Is this a British/North American difference, or is the distinction somehow connected to gender?

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  15. To me it reads masculine because its the name of my great grandfather, and it’s the only Evelyn I know. And I’ve always hated the trend, so yeah, same situation here.

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  16. You know how I feel about boy names on girls, but Evelyn doesn’t read masculine to me at all. I know the cutest four year old named Evelyn Corrine. She’s got this adorable curly blonde hair and the best manners from a preschooler that I’ve ever seen. I adore Evelyn, both the name and the girl!

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  17. I like Evelyn, and in my mind it is absolutely feminine, not a bit like a boy’s name. Maybe because of ‘Eve’ in the beginning. Maybe because I have a friend named Evelyn. Maybe simply because it seems like a girl name to me.

    But it does seem a little older fashioned, at least to me. I much prefer Aveline, but how do you say it? Ayv-uh-leen? Ay-ve-leen? Ay-ve-line?

    Reply

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