View source for Evelyn (name)

{{Other uses|Evelyn (disambiguation){{!}}Evelyn}}
{{Infobox given name2
| name            = Evelyn
| pronunciation   = 
| gender          = unisex
| language        = English
| languageorigin  = English
| origin          = Evelyn (surname)
| derivation      = from [[Norman French]] feminine personal name ''Aveline''
}}
'''''Evelyn''''' is a name in the [[English language]], where it can be used as a [[given name|first name]] or a [[surname]]. 

As a first name, it can refer to persons of [[unisex name|either sex]], although it is more commonly borne by females. The name originally was used a surname, which derived from [[Aveline]], a feminine [[Norman French]] [[diminutive]] of the name [[Ava (given name)|Ava]].

''Evelyn'' is also sometimes used as an Anglicisation of the Irish or ''Aibhilín'' and ''Éibhleann''.<ref name="Hanks-226"/> ''[[Aibhilín]]'' is a variant form of ''[[Eibhlín]]'', which is also derived from the Norman French ''Aveline''.<ref name="Hanks-341">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |page=341 }}.</ref> ''Éibhleann'', on the other hand, is said to be derived from the [[Old Irish]] ''óiph'', which means "radiance", "beauty"; a variant of this name is ''Éibhliu'', another Anglicised form of the name is ''Evilin''. Another school of thought is that the name "Evelyn" means "hazelnut".<ref name="Hanks-347">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |page=347 }}.</ref>

Variant forms of the feminine first name ''Evelyn'' include: ''Evelyne'', ''Eveline'', ''Evaline'', ''Evylen'', ''Eveleen''.<ref name="Hanks-226">{{citation |last1=Hanks |first1=Patrick |last2=Hardcastle |authorlink1=Patrick Hanks |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |title=A Dictionary of First Names |edition=2nd |series=Oxford Paperback Reference |year=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |pages=95–96 }}.</ref>

==Persons with the surname==
*[[John Evelyn]] (1620–1706), English writer, gardener and diarist.

==Persons with the first name==
;Women
*[[Evelyn Ashford]] (born 1957), American sprinter, gold medalist for the 100 m race in the 1984 Summer Olympics
*[[Evelyn Margaret Ay]], winner of the 1954 Miss America pageant
*[[Evelyn Beatrice Hall]], writer and biographer of Voltaire
*Evelyn Braxton, mother of six-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter [[Toni Braxton]]
*[[Evelyn Brent]] (1901–1975), American film and stage actress
*[[Evelyne Brochu]] (born 1982), Canadian film, television and theatre actress
*[[Evelyn Carrera]] (born 1971), Dominican Republic volleyball player
*[[Evelyn Chew]], Malaysian-Canadian stage actress
*[[Evelyn De Morgan]] (1855–1919), English Pre-Raphaelite painter
*[[Ewelina Flinta]] (born 1979), Polish singer
*[[Evelyn Garcia]], Mexican engineer who recently eloped to Central America
*[[Evelyne Gebhardt]] (born 1954), German politician and Member of the European Parliament
*[[Evelyn Gigantes]] (born 1945), Canadian politician and Cabinet Minister
*[[Evelyn Grady]], first woman to be elected as the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Mississippi, USA (1975)
*[[Evelyn Hart]] (born 1956), Canadian ballerina and principal dancer of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
*[[Evelyn Hooker]] (1907–1996), American psychologist most noted for her studies on homosexuality
*[[Evelyn Keyes]] (1916–2008), American actress most noted for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film ''Gone with the Wind''
*[[Evelyn Kozak]] (born August 14, 1899), American [[supercentenarian]] who at the age of {{age in years and days|1899|8|14}} is the world's oldest living [[Jews|Jewish]] person.
*[[Evelyn King (singer)]] (born 1960), popular American R&B and disco singer of the late '70s and early '80s
*[[Evelyn Lau]] (born 1971), Chinese-Canadian poet and novelist
*[[Evelyn Laye]] (1900–1996), British theatre actress
*[[Evelyn Lear]] (1926–2012), American soprano and opera singer
*[[Evelyn Lincoln]] (1909–1995), personal secretary to John F. Kennedy from his election to the Senate in 1953 until his 1963 assassination
*[[Evelyn Beatrice Longman]] (1874–1954), American sculptor and first woman to be elected a full member of the National Academy of Design
*[[Evelyn Mase]] (1922–2004), South African nurse and first wife of Nelson Mandela
*[[Evelyn Matthei]] (born 1953), Chilean politician, former Minister of Labor and candidate for President of Chile in 2013
*[[Evelyn Nesbit]] (1884–1967), American model noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover by her first husband
*[[Evelina Papantoniou]] (born 1979), Greek model
*[[Evelina Papoulia]] (born 1971), Greek actress
*[[Evelyn Preer]] (1896–1932), African-American actress and blues singer
*[[Evelyn Reed]] (1905–1979), leading member of the American Socialist Workers Party and women's rights agitator
*[[Evelyn Thomas]] (born 1945), American disco singer
*[[Evelyn Tubb]], soprano and long-time member of The Consort of Musicke
*[[Evelyn Underhill]] (1875–1941), English writer on mysticism and metaphysical poet
*[[Evelyn Verrasztó]] (born 1989), Hungarian swimmer
*[[Evelyn Wells]], biographer, especially of the ancient Egyptian royals
*[[Evelyn Williamson]] (born 1971), New Zealand triathlon athlete
*[[Evelyn Wood (teacher)]] (1909–1995), American advocate of speed reading

;Men
*[[Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer]] (1841–1917), Consul-General of Egypt from 1883 to 1907
*[[Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale]] (1903–1973), Governor of Kenya from 1952 to 1959
*[[Evelyn King (UK politician)]] (1907–1994), British member of Parliament
*[[Evelyn Owen]] (1915–1949), Australian inventor of the [[Owen submachine gun]]
*[[Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull]] (c. 1655 – 1726)
*[[Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset]] (1882–1954)
*[[Evelyn Waugh]] (1903–1966), English satirical novelist, whose first wife was also named Evelyn
*[[Evelyn John Webb-Carter]], former advisor to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and current Controller of the Army Benevolent Fund
*[[Evelyn Wood (British Army officer)]] (1838–1919), British Field marshal, Victoria Cross recipient
*[[Evelyn Robert de Rothschild]], British financier and member of the prominent Rothschild family.

==Fictional characters==
*Evelyn, portrayed by Sissy Spacek in ''[[The Ring 2]]''
*Evelyn Carnahan, played by Rachel Weisz in ''[[The Mummy (1999 film)|The Mummy]]'' 
*Evelyn Doyle, portrayed by [[Sophie Vavasseur]] in the 2002 film ''[[Evelyn (film)|Evelyn]]''.
*Evelyn Kane, in [[Agatha Christie]]'s 1952 novel ''[[Mrs McGinty's Dead]]'' and the 1964 film adaptation ''[[Murder Most Foul]]''
*Evelyn Kwong, from [[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]
*"Angel" (Evelyn) Martin, Jim Rockford's former prison cellmate on ''[[The Rockford Files]]''
*Evelyn Salt, portrayed by Angelina Jolie in ''[[Salt (2010 film)|Salt]]''
*[[Evelyn Smythe]], played by Maggie Stables in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on ''Doctor Who''
*[[Evelyn Tremble]], played by Peter Sellers in the James Bond satire ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]''
*Evelynn, the Widowmaker, a playable champion in [[League of Legends]]
*Ted Evelyn Mosby, in ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]''
*Bill (Evelyn William) McNeal, portrayed by Phil Hartman in ''[[NewsRadio]]''
*Evelyn Gardener, in the movie ''[[A League of Their Own]]''
*Evelyn, a nurse in ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]''
*Evelyn, the protagonist in ''[[The Passion of New Eve]]'' by [[Angela Carter]]
*''[[Evelyn Evelyn]]'', conjoined twins Eva and Lyn formed their names together to Evelyn to clear confusion
*Evelyn Harper, played by Holland Taylor in ''[[Two and a Half Men]]''
*Evelyn Greenslade, played by [[Judi Dench]] in ''[[The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]''
*Evelyn Bamford, female protagonist in ''[[Train Flight]]'' stories by [[Elizabeth Newton]]
*[[List of Downton Abbey characters#The Hon. Evelyn Napier|Evelyn Napier]], a character from Downton Abbey, portrayed by Brendan Patricks.
*Evelyn Cream, a renegade British Secret Service agent from the comic book series Marvelman (a.k.a. Miracleman)
*Evelyn Cross Mulwray, played by [[Faye Dunaway]] in ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)]]''

==Ships==
*{{SS|Eveleen}}, a British coaster in service under this name 1920–43 and 1946–57.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evelyn (Name)}}
[[Category:English-language feminine given names]]
[[Category:English-language masculine given names]]
[[Category:English-language surnames]]
[[Category:English-language unisex given names]]
[[Category:Given names originating from a surname]]