Origin: "Avila."

Narrative: Many names emerged before the development of writing, or evolved from oral traditions, so when we investigate the origins of names, written records are of limited use.

Modern scholars rely on a host of techniques to overcome these difficulties, but researching names of truly obscure origin involves a blend of scholarship and educated guesswork. Though it is common to encounter two or more competing theories on the heritage of some names, in this case our research has yet to uncover any explanation of the name's meaning.

We are interested in information you have on the source and meaning of this name. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to send us an email describing your theory.

Origin: "Avila."

Languages: This girl's name is used in German and English.

Nicknames: Evie

Alternative Spellings: Evelin, Evelyne and Evelynne

Variant Forms: Avelina, Evalyn, Evelina, Eveline, Evelynn and Evlynn

Non-English Forms: Ewelina

Source Forms: Avila

Popularity: The name Evelyn ranked 116th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 57th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: This began as a surname, then was used as a personal name for boys. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a dramatic shift in its gender association, and Evelyn has been more ''she'' than ''he'' ever since.

While scholars see no clear reason for this change, the name's similarity to Eve and Eva might have set up an irresistable gravitational pull across the gender line. Leslie and Ashley have both experienced a similar pull, though not to the same degree.