Evan

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Evan
Pronunciation Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɛvan]; English pronunciation: /ˈɛvən/
Gender Male
Language(s) Gaelic, Scots, Welsh
Origin
Meaning
  • "God is gracious" (Welsh)
  • "Young warrior" (Gaelic)
  • "Right-handed" (Scots)
Region of origin Wales
Other names
Related names John, Giovanni, Hans, Juan, Hovhannes, Ian, Ioan, Ioane, Ivan, Iven, Ifan, Jack, Jackson, Jan, Jane, Janez, Jean, Jhon, Joan, João, Johan/Johann, Johanan, Johannes, Jonne, Jovan, Juhani, Seán, Shane, Siôn, Yahya, Yohannes

Evan is a Welsh masculine given name derived from "lefen", a Welsh form for the name John. In other languages it could be compared to "Ivan", "Ian", and "Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יְהֹוחָנָן‎ Yəhôḥānān, which means "YHWH is gracious". Evan also comes from Gaelic Eóghan meaning "youth" or "young warrior" and Scots for "right-handed".[1][2] In Hebrew, the actual non-Proper noun, "evan/even/eban/eben", literally means "rock". It can also be the shortened version of the Greek name "Evangelos" (meaning messenger, or "Evander" (meaning good man). The old English translation of the name "Evan" could also be interpreted as "Heir of the Earth" or "The King". The name is also occasionally given to females, as with actress Evan Rachel Wood. It may be encountered as a surname, but Evans is usual.

Popularity

The popularity of the name Evan for males in the United States rose steadily over the last several decades, going from the 440th-ranked male name in 1957 to peaking at the 35th-ranked male name in 2009. It has since declined somewhat, and dropped out of the top 50 male names in the US in 2013.

Evan's popularity as a male name from 2000–2014
Year Rank
2014 58
2013 55
2012 47
2011 40
2010 36
2009 35
2008 38
2007 40
2006 42
2005 38
2004 39
2003 44
2002 56
2001 56
2000 55
Source: Social Security Administration.[3]

Notable people with the given name Evan

See also: All pages beginning with "Evan"

Fictional characters

  • Evan Baxter, in the 2007 film Evan Almighty
  • Evan Chambers, in the 2007 TV series Greek
  • Evan Delaney, female writer and legal assistant in five novels by Meg Gardiner
  • Evan Evans, constable in ten novels by Rhys Bowen
  • Evan Horne, jazz pianist in seven novels by Bill Moody
  • Evan Michael Tanner, government agent with permanent insomnia in eight novels by Lawrence Block
  • Evan Treborn, in the 2004 film The Butterfly Effect

People with a surname Evan

  • Rev. Cadwallader William Evan ( –1876), first minister of Stow Church, Adelaide, South Australia
  • Mostyn Evan (1861–1924), Cadwallader William Evan's son. A South Australian lawyer and sports administrator

Popular culture references to the name Evan

See also

References

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de:Evan fr:Evan

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  3. Social Security Online: Popular Baby Names at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames