Ivelyn
A feminine name of English origin meaning "of noble birth".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Ivelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ivelyn today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ivelyn births was 2006 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ivelyn. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ivelyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
2006
8 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,192
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Ivelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ivelyn from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ivelyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ivelyn 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 Ivelyn 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 Ivelyn
The name Ivelyn is a relatively modern invention, emerging in the late 19th century as a variant of the more traditional name Evelyn. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "eofor," meaning "wild boar," and the suffix "-lina," signifying "little one." Thus, the name Ivelyn carries the connotation of being a diminutive form, denoting a small or delicate person with the fierceness of a wild boar.
While the name Ivelyn lacks a deep-rooted historical or cultural background, it has gained popularity in recent times, particularly in English-speaking countries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ivelyn can be found in the late 19th century English census records, suggesting its emergence as a variant of Evelyn during that period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ivelyn. One of the earliest was Ivelyn Arundel (1886-1957), a British artist and illustrator known for her striking portraiture and botanical illustrations. Another notable figure was Ivelyn Harris (1901-1994), an American mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry.
In the literary realm, Ivelyn Woodward (1912-1995) was a notable British author and playwright, best known for her novel "The Woodlanders" and her adaptations of Jane Austen's works for the stage. Ivelyn Dewhurst (1927-2018) was a prominent English actress who graced both stage and screen, with notable performances in productions such as "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and "The Madwoman of Chaillot."
More recently, Ivelyn Gibbons (1945-2017) was an American attorney and judge who served on the Superior Court of California, becoming a respected figure in the legal community for her dedication to fairness and justice.
While the name Ivelyn may not have a deep-rooted historical or cultural significance, it has found its place in modern society, with several accomplished individuals bearing this moniker and leaving their mark in various fields.
People
Ivelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ivelyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ivelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ivelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ivelyn 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Ivelyn a common name?
We classify Ivelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ivelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Ivelyn was 2006, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ivelyn is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ivelyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ivelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ivelyn 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.
Is Ivelyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ivelyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ivelyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Ivelyn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Ivelyn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.