Evelyn

Evelyn is an English name derived from the Norman French surname Aveline, itself tracing back to the Germanic root element avi, of uncertain meaning but possibly related to the word for water or island. Originally used as a masculine given name in Britain, it gradually shifted to predominantly feminine use during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The novelist Evelyn Waugh, a male bearer, is a well-known example of the name's earlier masculine application. Related forms include Aveline, Evelina, and Eveline.