Name of the Week

With Eve, Evie and Evelyn in the Top 100,
perhaps its time again to revive elegant Evelina. 

Origin:

Evelina is a variant of Avelina, a diminutive form of the Old Germanic name Avila.  Avila itself derives from the Old Germanic name Ava, the origins of which are very mysterious.  It is generally thought that Ava is the feminine form of Germanic Avi or Avo, which could either be connected to the Germanic tribe of the Aviones or from the Old Germanic alfi "elf."  Another possibility is that Ava developed as a variant of Eve, a Hebrew name meaning "life", with which it has been much confused over time.  Avelina is often further confused with avellana, the Latin name for the hazel tree.

Usage:

Aveline, the Old French form of Avelina, was brought over to Britain by the Normans. Aveline had a long history of use among the Normans; Avelina of Longeville was the sister of Gunnor, wife of Richard I of Normandy and great-grandmother of William the Conqueror. The name was not very popular in Britain over all, but it was used regularly across the Middle Ages. Records include instances of Avelina, Avelin, Avelyna and Avelyn in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1189, 1200, 1273 and 1430, and the Norfolk Poll Tax of 1379. It was certainly used enough times to create the surname Aveline, Aveling and, in some cases, Evelyn. The Normans also took Aveline over to Ireland where it was borne by many aristocratic Norman-Irish ladies. It was rendered into Irish Gaelic as Aibhilín or, more commonly known today, Eibhlín which were later anglicised as Aileen and Eileen.  By the 16th century, Avelina was uncommon but still used sporadically in areas such as Berkshire, Kent and Norfolk. The major turning point for the fortunes of Evelina came with the publication of Frances Burney's novel Evelina in 1778. Burney no doubt based her choice for the name Evelina on her first manuscript, The History of Caroline Evelyn, which she had earlier destroyed by having her fictional Evelina as the daughter of said Caroline Evelyn. The novel was a huge success, and with that came a rise in popularity for the name Evelina.  In 1863, Charlotte Mary Yonge wrote that Evelina was an "ornamental name" that "at present is most in vogue." It never made it into the top 100, though it reach a peak in the 1870s. In 1880, Evelina ranked #192 (81 births) in England and Wales and #210 (74 births) in 1890.  It declined significantly in England and Wales from that point on: 1900: 44 births 1910: 35 births 1920: 15 births 1930: 6 births 1940: 2 births  From 1996 to 2005, Evelina only had a birth count of between 3 and 10 (#1843 in 2003). Since then however, Evelina has been steadily and quietly rising: #1748 (13 births) in 2006, #1093 (27 births) in 2008, #1013 (33 births) in 2010, #959 (37 births) in 2011 and #874 (43 births) in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Evelina Gertrude de Rothschild (1839–1866), English socialite and first openly unconverted Jew to sit in the British House of Commons. * Evelina Haverfield (1867–1920), British suffragette and aid worker. Contemporary: * Evelina Papoulia (b. 1971), Greek actress. * Evelina Petrova (b. 1974), Russian composer. * Ewelina Flinta (b. 1979), Polish singer. * Evelina Simonaho (b. 1984), Swedish actress.  Literature and other media: * Evelina (1778) a novel by Frances Burney. * Arvire et Évélina (1788), a French-language opera by Antonio Sacchini. Other: * Dolpha evelina, a species of brush-footed butterfly

Variants:

Eveline (French), Aveline (Old French), Avelina (Old German), Eibhlín, Eileen, Aileen (Irish), Eveliina (Finnish), Evelien (Dutch), Ewelina (Polish)

Pronunciation:

ev-ə-LEE-nə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Eva, Eve, Evie, Lena, Lia, Lina, Liv, Neve, Nia, Vela, Vina

Sibling Names:

Rosanna     Flora     Penelope     Ottilie     Delphine    Viola      Atticus     Lawrence     Raphael     Maximus     Rufus     Montgomery

Name Lists:

Slickly Continental

 

If you like Evelina you may also like:   Sabina, Verena, Eulalia, Genevieve, Serena, Linnea, Angelina, Beatrix, Leonie, Livia

 

Thanks to Stephanie for requesting Evelina.