Evan is a Welsh masculine given name, derived from Iefan, a Welsh form of the name John. Similar names that share this origin include Ivan, Ian, and Juan. "John" itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name (romanised: Yəhôḥānān), meaning "Yahweh is gracious". Evan can also occasionally be found as a shortened version of Greek names like Evangelos and Evander. While predominantly male, the name is occasionally given to women, as with the actress Evan Rachel Wood. It may also be encountered as a surname, although Evans is a far more common form within this context. Other languages possess words and names ostensibly similar to Evan, such as Eógan in Scottish Gaelic and Irish, Owain in Welsh, and Owen in English. However, these names are altogether different etymologically, generally thought to come from the Greek and Latin word eugenēs, which means "noble" or "well-born".

Popularity

The popularity of the name Evan in the United States rose steadily over the latter half of the 20th century, going from the 440th-ranked male name in 1957 to peaking at the 35th-ranked male name in 2009. Immediately afterward, however, it began to decline precipitously, dropping out of the top 50 male names in the US by 2013 and out of the top 100 by 2020. Among American males in 2021, the name had less than a third of the popularity it had had in 2010.

Female popularity

While Evan is still predominantly a male name, its use among girls has become increasingly common. Its use in both contexts started to rise in the late 1970s, but in contrast to the steep decline that Evan as a male name saw after 2009, the frequency of Evan as a female name more than tripled as a share of overall use in the same period. By 2021, the name had modestly increased in popularity above its usage in 2010 among American girls.

People

Given name

Fictional characters

Surname

Popular culture references to the name Evan