Evelyn

I'm doing some historical research and have been looking at the baptismal register of St Margaret's Church in the parish of Westminster, in London, for July 1714. This entry (which is nothing to do with my research, by the way) caught my eye - so I thought I would share it here, because I think of Evelyn as a nineteenth/twentieth century name for boys and then girls, but here's a female Evelyn named after her mother:
"12 July 1714. Evelyn Smith D to Hawksworth by Evelyn"

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I always love to find historical precedents for modern usage.

Evelin is also sometimes used as an Anglicisation of the Irish or Aibhilín and Éibhleann. Aibhilín is a variant form of Eibhlín, which is also derived from the Norman French Aveline. 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.

I do not think the argument for Evelyn as a male name is very good. True, it's technically from a surname, but the surname comes directly from the female name Aveline. I personally see this name as a "reinterpretation" of Aveline or Eveline, or an elaboration of Eve, and not as a surname-name at all. So it boggles me a bit on boys.

I like that it can be said it came from "Aveline" which came from "Ava" which possibly means "desired". That just adds to the love I have for the name, and the wish to use it. Because I want a baby so bad, that she will truly be 'desired' completely.

It comes from the Old French (AVELÃ?), which means hazelnut.

I always thought that Evelyn was a pet form of Eve or Eva. I guess not.

Means "lively, pleasant".