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Evelyn (name)

Evelyn is a matronymic English surname derived from the medieval girl's name Aveline (which is of Norman origin and represents a diminutive form of Ava). Since the 17th century, it has also been used as a given name. The earliest recorded bearer was Evelyn Pierrepont (d. 1726), who was a grandson of the Roundhead politician Sir John Evelyn. The family subsequently used the name for both male and female children, including Pierrepont's third daughter.

The English census of 1841 listed 84 Evelyns, half male and half female. By 1851, there were 88 male and 196 female Evelyns. On the other side of the Atlantic, the 1850 United States census listed 53 male and 310 female Evelyns. The name has continued to be predominantly feminine since.

The name jumped in popularity in 1907 due to the influence of Evelyn Nesbit, the first "supermodel", whose husband Harry Kendall Thaw murdered Stanford White in 1906 over his alleged sexual assault of Nesbit. The publicized trial and Nesbit's subsequent fame caused Evelyn to become the 10th most popular name for girls in the US in 1915. It remained within the top 50 into the 1940s, but had dropped to 287th by 1980. The 1981 movie ''Ragtime'', which featured Evelyn Nesbit as a character, brought the name renewed attention. Evelyn became a popular girls' name again in the 21st century, becoming 8th most popular in the US in 2024 and 13th most popular in England and Wales in 2023. Notable Evelyns in modern popular culture include Rachel Weisz's character in the 1999 movie ''The Mummy'' (based on Lady Evelyn Herbert, the first woman to enter Tutankhamun's tomb) and Kate Beckinsale's character in the 2001 movie '' Pearl Harbor''.

In some cases, the given name may represent an anglicized form of the Irish names Aibhilín and Éibhleann. The former is also a descendant of Aveline, while the latter is said to derive from the Old Irish ''óiph'' ("beauty, radiance"). Provided by Wikipedia