Formal names for Evie range from chart-topper Evelyn to obscure Evolet, with plenty of possibilities in-between. And speaking of in-between, the Evie sound is often sandwiched in longer names, like Genevieve.
One possible point of contention: is Evelyn – with a short ‘e’ – pronounced eh-vee? Parents, as well as the Evies themselves, vary on this point. There’s no wrong answer, necessarily. But it’s worth noting that it’s a choice, as well as a possible source of confusion.
And, of course, you can name your daughter just Evie. It’s a Top 20 pick in England, and popular throughout the English-speaking world, too.
But in the US, we tend to favor formal names for Evie. Happily, there are dozens to choose from!
TOP 100 EVIE NAMES
EVELYN
Tailored Evelyn started out as a surname, spent some time as a unisex choice, and now feels exclusively feminine in the US. It’s also a Top Ten favorite, and, of course, a logical way to get to Evie.
EVERLY
A surname name with rock n roll ties, Everly has become of one the hottest girl names of our moment.
EVA
Mini name Eva feels traditional, substantial, and stylish – all in just three letters.
FAMILIAR FORMAL NAMES FOR EVIE
EVANGELINE
A long and dramatic name borrowed from literature – Longfellow penned his poem Evangeline in 1847 – Evangeline carries an upbeat meaning: good news.
EVE
A spare and simple name, Eve is among the most familiar female characters from the Old Testament. It’s also a name that signals hope and new beginnings.
GENEVIEVE
Elegantly French, but widely known in English, Genevieve could easily shorten to Gen, Vivi, or Evie.
VIVIENNE
Vivian is more popular in the US, but the French form of the name lends itself to the nickname Evie.
BORROWED FROM THE BOYS
EVAN
It’s a modern staple for our sons, but Evan has been used in small numbers for girls throughout much of the twentieth century. One famous example? Actor Evan Rachel Wood, most recently seen in Westworld and Kajillionaire.
EVERETT
Surname name Everett comes from Everard – a dashing name with Germanic and Old English roots. It’s far more popular for boys, but given our love of -ett ending names for our daughters, it’s not surprising this name appears on some girls’ birth certificates, too – sometimes spelled Everette.
RARE EVIE NAMES
ELVIRA
Depending on your perspective, this name is either all Mozart … or all Mistress of the Dark. (Or maybe it’s The Oak Ridge Boys.) The horror show hostess has kept this name off parents’ lists, and yet … we do love an El name AND a middle v. So maybe Elvira is ready for a comeback?
EVALINA
A handful of formal names for Evie come with mix and match spellings. This one could be Evalina or Evelina, to name just two. A 1778 novel by Fanny Burney titled Evelina was a bestseller in its day.
EVANIE
Or Evannie, Evony, Evonny, Evanny … it’s Evan-with-a-y, a twist on Avery and maybe older names like Yvonne, too.
EVANNA
Harry Potter actor Evanna Lynch put this name on this list.
EVOLET
A name invented for the movie 10,000 BC, it comes – more or less – from the phrase “the love” spelled backwards. But it succeeds a sound, an Eve-Violet combination.
GUINEVERE
Dramatic and romantic, this name from Arthurian legend is seldom heard in the US. It could easily shorten to many other nicknames – Gwen, or maybe Vera, too. But Evie works every bit as well.
YVETTE and YVONNE
A long list of Yv- names comes from the French masculine Yves – yew tree. These are two of the best known.
OBSCURE FORMAL NAMES FOR EVIE
DEVORAH
The Hebrew form of Deborah, Devorah feels fresh and surprising.
DOVEVA
Another Hebrew name, it comes from a word meaning “whisper.”
ELISHEVA
The Hebrew form of Elizabeth, with an Eva ending.
EVADNE
A name borrowed from Greek legend, Evadne’s first syllable comes from eu – good.
EVALISE
A mysterious name, waiting on the edges across many languages and moments, Evalise could be spelled Ivelisse, Yvelise, or a dozen other ways. While the meaning and origins are obscure, the sound is appealing.
EVALUNA
A combination of classic Eva and current vintage comeback name Luna.
EVANTHE
A close cousin to Evande, Evanthe means blooming.
EVENING
A word name tied to a time of day.
EVER
Another word name, this time with a strong virtue vibe.
EVERILD
The Anglo-Saxon Eoforhild is a non-starter, but the Latinized Everild sounds sleek and appealing.
EVREN
A unisex import from Turkey, with ties to a mythical creature.
GENEVA
A place name that feels two-parts Genevieve, and even more wearable thanks to all these Evie names.
REVERIE
Reverie refers to being lost in thought. It’s a lovely word name possibility.
SEVERINE
The French feminine form of Severus – stern. Severina is also seen occasionally.
YVAINE
A name likely invented by Neil Gaiman for Stardust, Yvaine might’ve been inspired by Ywain, of Arthurian legend.
What are your favorite formal names for Evie?
First published on August 10, 2012, this post was revised substantially and re-published on October 29, 2020.
How about Evie being short for Evette?
I have been a facebook follower for a long time, so I am sure you have read my comments about my second daughter’s name. She is Eleanor Violet, named for both mine and my husband’s great-grandmothers, Ella and Lucy Ellen. We absolutely love Violet and it felt like the most beautiful name combo. My older daughter was 2 when Eleanor was born and couldn’t say her name. We call her Evie. She is 3 now and has recently learned themeaning behind her name and announced last night that she wants to be called Ella Violet lol!
i really need your help i am of greek origin and live in the uk i have to name my baby after my mum she is called evridiki or can be spelt everydiki. i have compromised to call her evie for short , does this work out? evie seems to be short for all ev names am i right ?
I really love Everleigh but feel like it sounds too..Idk it just doesn’t sound like enough of a real name. I adore the nn Evie though! So adorable and vintage sounding. I also love Evangeline so much but a family member just named their baby girl Evangeline so that’s out but I am determined to find a name that can be shortened to Evie! Thanks for this excellent post 🙂
I love Evie as a nickname. I’ve always liked Eve as a name, and recently I’ve fallen in love with the name Evelyn. 🙂 It doesn’t seem very “lace-and-pearls” to me, though.
I’d never use it, but am so intrigued by the thought of Evening now!
I suggest Ginevra be added to the list of “The Buried Ev.”
I was thinking the same thing. Like Ginevra “Ginny” Weasley, haha.
Maybe Everdeen?
Oh, goodness no. Too much a reminder of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. I’m not a big fan of her character, though I like her sister, Prim. Anyway, it sounds too much like a last name either way, in my opinion.
I know a Nevada and there is something about it that intrigues me
Evie has a very special place in Australian hearts.
I see Eve, Eva, Evelyn and Evangeline as very common and hassle-free ways to get to Evie.
Yvie is also very popular, and I can never decide if it’s supposed to be short for Yvonne or Yvaine or some other name.
Our daughter born last year is Evangeline nn Evie (long E at the beginning). My cousin had her baby girl 5 weeks after ours, and her name is Evelyn nn Evie (short E at the beginning). My friend just had a baby and named her Ever. 🙂
I’d use Guinevere and maybe call her Evie. Honestly though? She’d more likely be Gwen or Neve before Evie.
We have an Elisabeth, nn Ellie right behind us, Evie is far too close for me to use.
Pretty, but unusable for me. 🙁
Great choices! When my husband and I were first married, I was convinced that our first daughter should be named Evans (a family surname on his side), nicknamed Evie. Other family members beat us to the punch with an Eva, and the names are too similar for me to use Evie. Sad to let it go–it’s a darling name, however you get to it!
I adore the name Evie – like most Brits! – but if I were to use her as a nn for another name, I’d likely opt for Maeve or maybe even Reverie.
Evie is adorable, though perhaps a bit too lace-and-pearls for me, and I’d definitely want to use a more formal name on the birth certificate.
Lovely list of options, especially Evelina, Evadne, Doveva, Reverie, and Yvaine, though I’d shorten Doveva to Dovie and perhaps Reverie to Rory. I also kind of love Vanessa’s Everdean. However, Yvaine would probably be my top pick to get to Yvie (Evie).
And with family names Yvonne and Mary Evelyn, I’ve seriously considered Yvaine and Evelina, but most often in the middle name spot.
Great post!
Anyone else see Evely and hear “evily” in your head?
Did you write this for me? Last year, before we discovered we were expected a second boy; several of these names were on my very long list. Top contenders were; Evangeline, Everett/Everette, Everley, Everdean, Evolet, and Genevieve. Evonne and Evette were considered momentarily. The “V” is VERY important and historical in my family.
Evie was our girl’s #1 name on the list. We considered just Evie (eh-vee), but my husband wanted a more formal name. We considered Everly, but decided on Evelyn. We had two boys though and didn’t get the opportunity to use it.
Oh thank you for making this post! I LOVE the nickname Evie, but don’t feel it’s substantial enough to stand on its own. This gives me lots of great options!
I have a hard time using Evie for any name that starts with a short E sound.
I’m personally a fan of the saintly Everild!
A new aquaintance here in NZ just named her youngest Evie. A friend in Canada has a preschool-aged Evie, short for the family name Evelyn.
Oh, Everild should absolutely be on this list. Great addition!
I love the name Eva (ee-va) and one of my favorite girl names right now is Geneva, with the option of Eva. I also love Evadne. I wish we could use Ever (or Everleigh) but I don’t think it would work with our last name, unfortunately. Ooo, and Evening! I’m adding that to my list right now! That’s stunning!
I wouldn’t name a daughter Evie but would give a more formal name. However, I would be more included to just name a daughter Eva. As you can see above, I love so many Ev- names and in actuality, would name her Geneva or Evadne with the nickname of Eva so I could get the best of both worlds!