Name of the Week

 ^.

A classic and traditional Welsh name
which sounds upbeat and lively.

 

Origin:

Evan is Anglicised form of Ifan, which is itself a Welsh form of John.  Evan's morphology is a convoluted but interesting one. It begins with the Hebrew Yehochanan meaning "Yahweh is gracious." It became Ioannes in Greek and Johannes in Latin, and developed into Ieuan in Welsh. Around the fourteenth century, Ieuan became written as Iefan and Ifan which was anglicised as Ievan, Yevan and Jevan.  The spelling Evan dates from the late 15th century.

Usage:

Evan is one of the few Welsh names to have endured and maintained constant usage since the Middle Ages. It was not only used in Wales but also neighbouring English counties. The Shropshire Poll Tax of 1381 lists three men named Eyvyn for example, alongside other anglicised Welsh names such as Madok and Griffin.  There are a multitude of surnames which derive from the name and attest to its continued use, including Evans, Bevan, Yevan, Evins, Heaven and Jevan.  In an analysis of first names from the 1851 Glamorgan census, Evan rank at #6 in the Top 50 male names after John, William, Thomas, David and James, making it the most popular "Welsh" name at the time. Among men aged 51 and over (those who were born in the 18th century) it was even more common, ranking at #5.  Ianto was long used as a diminutive in Wales for Evan, Iefan, Ifan and Ioan. In recent years it is often used as a name in its own right.  Data from The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) On the 1881 census, Evan was the 135th most frequent name (including both male and female). Data shows that, although Evan was very popular in Wales, it was also in use in England, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It was very common in Wales in the 18th and 19th century. In England and Wales combined Evan gradually declined in use over the course of the 19th century, eventually leaving the Top 100 in the 1920s.  1870: #47 1880: #55 1890: #62 1900: #77 1904: #88 1914: #96 1924: below the Top 100 1934: below the Top 100 1944: below the Top 100 1954: below the Top 100 1964: below the Top 100 1974: below the Top 100 1984: below the Top 100 1994: below the Top 100 2004: #99 Evan re-entered the Top 100 in 2004 and peaked in 2009 at #70 with 973 births. Its revival was sooner in Wales individually entering the Top 100 in 1997 and swiftly climbed up the ranks, finally reaching #16 in 2009.  In 2012, Evan ranked #86 in England and Wales, #27 in Wales, #99 in England and #77 in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Evan Roberts (1861–1927), Wales international rugby player. * Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet (1871–1959), Welsh industrialist. * Evan Roberts (1878–1951), figure in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival. * Evan "Ianto" Davies (1892–1946), Wales international rugby player. * Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar (1893–1949), a Welsh poet and author. * Evan Roberts (1909–1991), Welsh botanist and conservationist. Contemporary: * Evan Williams (b. 1972), founder of Twitter. * Evan Peters (b. 1987), American actor Literature and Other Media: * Evan Almighty (2007), movie.

Variants:

Ifan, Iefan

Pronunciation:

EV-ən [key]

Possible diminutives

Ianto

Sibling Names:

Carys     Lucy     Niamh     Skye     Grace     Amy  Harry     Finn     Rhys     Luke     Rory     Lewis

Name Lists:

Cosy Celtic   Lively Lads   Short & Sweet   Victorian Darlings

 

If you like Evan you may also like:   Owen, Dylan, Ewan, Gavin, Ethan, Liam, Ryan, Caelan, Declan, Leon

 

Thanks to Donna for requesting this post.