Evelyn
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from the Germanic languages. From Middle English forms of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for“ (compare Latin avēre, "to wish for") or aval “strength”. By folk etymology also misunderstood as a diminutive of the feminine given name Eve, q.v. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Evelyn (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Evelyn has been fairly steady over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2017. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | 14 |
| 2002 | 13 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 15 |
| 2006 | 11 |
| 2007 | 11 |
| 2008 | 17 |
| 2009 | 23 |
| 2010 | 28 |
| 2011 | 17 |
| 2012 | 30 |
| 2013 | 31 |
| 2014 | 31 |
| 2015 | 45 |
| 2016 | 45 |
| 2017 | 54 |
| 2018 | 37 |
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 46 |
| 2021 | 47 |
| 2022 | 42 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 876 |
| 2000 | 885 |
| 2001 | 898 |
| 2002 | 913 |
| 2003 | 934 |
| 2004 | 941 |
| 2005 | 951 |
| 2006 | 972 |
| 2007 | 983 |
| 2008 | 1,013 |
| 2009 | 1,050 |
| 2010 | 1,079 |
| 2011 | 1,091 |
| 2012 | 1,131 |
| 2013 | 1,149 |
| 2014 | 1,177 |
| 2015 | 1,221 |
| 2016 | 1,265 |
| 2017 | 1,322 |
| 2018 | 1,358 |
| 2019 | 1,393 |
| 2020 | 1,428 |
Evelyn in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Evelyn.Hi! My name is Evelyn.
- Har du träffat Evelyn? Hon började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Evelyn? She started working here on Monday.
- Evelyn har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Evelyn has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Evelyns mamma är lärare.Evelyn's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Evelyns mamma is Evelyn's mum.
More names
Questions about Evelyn
How do you pronounce Evelyn in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Evelyn in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Evelyn mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name from the Germanic languages. From Middle English forms of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for“ (compare Latin avēre, "to wish for") or aval “strength”. By folk etymology also misunderstood as a diminutive of the feminine given name Eve, q.v. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.
How popular is Evelyn in Sweden?
42 babies were named Evelyn in 2022. In 2020, 1,428 people in Sweden had Evelyn as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been fairly steady lately and peaked in 2017 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.