The baby name Ever has gone from obscure possibility to fast-rising favorite.
Thanks to Lauren for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME EVER MEAN?
Let’s begin with the vocabulary word.
With Old English roots, æfre simply means “always.” The word’s exact origins remain murky, but it main come from a longer phrase meaning “ever in life” or, more poetically, “evermore.”
Poets contract Ever to e’er, but the word is remarkably unchanged across the centuries.
Ever endures.
But is it just another word name borrowed from the dictionary in recent years?
Maybe not.
OLD TESTAMENT NAME
The Old Testament mentions the name Hebrew name Eber more than once, and Heber, too.
Eber is the great-great-grandson of Noah. There’s a story that Eber refused to help build the Tower of Babel, and thus preserved the Hebrew language. Hebrew might come from his given name, though there’s lively debate on the issue.
The Book of Genesis mentions a separate figure by the name, as does the New Testament. Sometimes the names are spelled Chéver or even Ever.
GERMANIC ROOTS OF EVER
Names like Everly come from the Old English eofor – wild boar.
It’s a common element in long-forgotten names from the Middle Ages like Everar, and it’s heard in German, too, in names like Everich.
Surnames like the Germanic Eberhard are boar names, too. Eberhard became Everardus in Latin, Everard in English, and finally, it’s the source of Everett, that popular favorite for our boys.
IRISH NAME EVER
In Irish myth, Eimhear or Emer is the accomplished wife of Cu Chulainn. It doesn’t sound exactly like the baby name Ever … but it’s close.
The name likely comes from eimh – swift.
EVER AS A SURNAME NAME
Surnames suggest even more possibilities.
The English name Evers might’ve been given to someone who lived at the edge of a hill.
Evert and Everts, too, could’ve led to the baby name Ever. In those cases, they’re Germanic and refer back to the wild boar.
And Ever, all by itself, is sometimes a surname. Ita Ever, a native of Estonia, went on to become a major stage, television, and movie star in her native country and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
HOW DID EVER BECOME A GIVEN NAME?
And so we answer the question of the name Ever’s origins with highly unsatisfying question mark.
But whether it’s Hebrew, Gaelic, Old English, or something else, it’s clear that this name has history.
In fact, it was used in small numbers for generations – long before the current word name trend.
That said, the name Ever was rare in the second half of the twentieth century. Actor Robert Carradine, of the famous Hollywood family, welcomed daughter Ever way back in 1974. She’s now an actress in her own right. You might know her from The Handmaid’s Tale.
Speaking of famous families, Milla Jovovich and Paul WS Anderson are parents to three girls: Ever Gabo, Dashel Edan, and Osian Lark Elliot. When asked about Ever’s name, she explained they chose it to reflect Paul’s Scottish heritage. Ever Anderson is, like her famous mother, also pursuing an acting career.
Singer-songwriter Alanis Morrisette gave the name to a son in 2010. She and Mario “Souleye” Treadway are also parents to daughter Onyx and son Winter.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME EVER?
It’s easy to dismiss the baby name Ever as a modern word name, a sister for Legend or a brother for Promise.
But there’s much more to this name, and the data bears that out.
As a girl’s name, Ever first appears in the United States records way back in 1888, when five girls received the name. It continued to be used in small numbers – 8 this year, a dozen the next. It was enough to push the baby name Ever into the US Top 1000 for girls twice, in 1893 and again in 1901.
It’s always been a gender-neutral name.
Turning to baby boy names, Ever debuted in the US data in 1916, with five births, and remained less common for our sons than our daughters for many years.
That’s changed, though.
As of 2023, 205 boys and 126 girls received the name.
With words like River, Legacy, and Reign in favor for boys and girls alike, Ever fits right in.
SIMILAR-SOUNDING NAMES
It also helps that the baby name Ever sounds like so many current favorites. Popular names Everly, Evelyn, Evan, and Everett all open doors for Ever.
When it comes to baby girl names, middle Vs are everything. Olivia holds the #1 rank for girls’ names in the US, with Ava not far behind. Then again, we love Oliver and Levi for boys.
SPARE AND BOLD
Easily pronounced and spelled, there’s something deceptively simple about the baby name Ever.
It’s unisex and modern. But it connects to many an older name, too.
And it’s easy to imagine Ever suiting a child of any personality – a dreamer or a rebel. Someone outgoing or someone who hangs back a bit. It’s endlessly rich with potential, and yet it’s not too much to live up to, either.
Call it a twenty-first century virtue name, a bold and romantic choice that’s surprisingly easy to wear, too.
What do you think of the baby name Ever?
First published February 25, 2011, this post was revised substantially and re-published on March 1, 2023 and again on March 4, 2025.
I love word names but Ever just seems too plain. Although it’s relatively unusual it’s still sort of a yawn to me. I agree that it’s definitely wearable for someone else’s child though. 🙂
For example, I prefer Anabel to Annabelle.
I like the name Everly Bear, it is kinda crazy tho that’s for sure. Anything with a ton of extra letters just for show, like Everleigh, kinda gets me down.
Love it as a nn for Everett or Evelyn, but Ever does seem incomplete on its own. I feel like I hear an ellipsis after it, like ‘ever…after??’ or something.
I have a cousin, who’s expecting and she has a real love of celebrity-related word/virtue names. Ever is one of the “better” names she is considering. (She’s also thinking about Br@nch, G@ble…) I’m of two minds about Ever. I like the meaning and appreciate the sound, but it feels incomplete as a full name. As a nickname for Evelyn or Everett, that’s fabulous.
I kinda really like this name – and was thinking about it not too long ago.
I would probably use it as a nn for Everett or Evelyn rather than as a full name. As it may date.
Good idea! It makes me think of Evelyn. I didn’t think of Everett, but that would be a great nickname for that one too.
I like Ever on its own, over Everly / Everleigh though.
Ever’s too much of a word name for my taste, although I admit to being a fan of “ev” names in general. Some of my personal favourites include Evelyn, Evander, and the saintly Everild.
I want to like Ever, it feels fresh and unusual in an wearable way. Written down it looks incomplete, though, like someone stopped typing in the middle of Everett.
I agree, I’ve always thought it sounds unfinished.
Count me as :meh:. Ever doesn’t impress me with creativity, nor does it seem especially polished. Of course, I’m no celebrity and my kids have to grow up & get jobs like any normal slob (like me!) So it doesn’t work for me. But if I had to think beyond me, I’ll admit Ever’s rather simple, easily spelled and at least liveable as a name. Not for me, but for someone else’s kid. 🙂
I honestly think it’s a name that sounds like when you hear it,refreshing to come across – to those who have the guts to use it, and it feels good to say.I REALLY hope that more people use.
The modern pronunciation of Eimhear makes no sense given the rules of Irish Gaelic. It’s supposed to be pronounced as Ever. The /mh/ is a slender consonant because it is surrounded by slender vowels [i & e], so that makes it a /v/ sound. If it were a broad consonant, it would make a /w/ sound. There is no /m/ sound there at all. I don’t know as much about Scots Gaelic, but if I recall correctly, their rules are similar.
Anyway, I really like the name, spelled Eimhear or Ever. 🙂
I should say, I like Eimhear for a girl and Ever for a boy.
Panya, thanks – here’s the pronunciation I found at Forvo; a bunch of other sites gave it, too: https://www.forvo.com/word/eimear/ It surprised me – I expected to hear a v sound – but I know very little about Gaelic languages. Any guesses as to what’s at work there? I’m stumped.
I’m guessing it’s an Anglicisation/simplification. Either people’re pronouncing the /m/ because they don’t know Gaelic, or the /h/ was left out, which technically *would* make it an /m/ sound [though incorrect in regards to origin]. I think it’s been mispronounced for so long that the incorrect pronunciation has become the accepted pronunciation.
And so it goes … language is a funny thing, isn’t it? It looks like the /h/ has been dropped pretty consistently.
in irish gaelic (bhi) (fhada over the i ) is pronounced v
eibhir (fhada over the second i) being the gaelic spelling for eimhear