Evellyn
Life, rebirth, a name of English origin meaning "wished for child".
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the first name Evellyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Evellyn today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Evellyn births was 2019 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Evellyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
172
~ 1 in 1,992,758 Americans
Peak year
2019
18 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,965
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Evellyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Evellyn from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 96 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Evellyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Evellyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Evellyn
The name Evellyn is a variant spelling of the English name Evelyn, which is derived from the Norman French name Aveline. Aveline itself is a diminutive form of the Germanic name Avelina, which is derived from the root name Avila, meaning "desired one" or "wished for child."
The name Aveline was introduced to Britain by the Norman conquerors in the 11th century and was initially a popular name among the Norman nobility. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Evelyn, which became the most common form in English-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Evelyn can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Avelina" in this historical document.
In the Middle Ages, the name Evelyn was associated with Saint Evelyn, a 7th-century Spanish martyr who was killed for her Christian faith during the Moorish conquest of Spain. Her feast day is celebrated on May 14th in the Catholic Church, which may have contributed to the popularity of the name among religious communities.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Evellyn or its variants. One of the earliest recorded was Evelyn of Anjou (c. 1090-1151), a Countess of Anjou and the wife of King Geoffroy V of Anjou. Another prominent figure was Evelyn Pierrepont (1665-1726), an English writer and diarist whose works chronicled life in 17th-century England.
During the Victorian era, the name Evelyn experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the upper classes. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), the acclaimed British novelist and satirist, was a notable bearer of the name during this period.
In the 20th century, Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) was a renowned English writer and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of mysticism and spirituality. Evelyn Glennie (born 1965) is a Scottish percussionist and composer who has achieved international acclaim despite being profoundly deaf.
The variant spelling Evellyn, while less common, has also been used throughout history. One notable bearer of this spelling was Evellyn Brodstone (1908-1999), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the 20th century.
People
Evellyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Evellyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Evellyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Evellyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Evellyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,992,758 US residents.
Is Evellyn a common name?
We classify Evellyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 180 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Evellyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Evellyn was 2019, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Evellyn is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Evellyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Evellyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.