Eva
Eva was the 134th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,154 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 31st; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,563). Over the last ten years it has moved down 58 places. More babies were named Eva in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning life, living (form of Eve) · Hebrew, Latin
Say it EE-vuh /ˈivə/
- Rank in 2025
- #134 girls, down 41 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,154girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19184,563 babies
- Total since 1880
- 285,768babies recorded
What does the name Eva mean?
Eva is the Latin and Greek form of Eve, the first woman in Genesis. The Hebrew name is Chavvah, which DMNES connects with a root meaning 'to live, to give life', matching Genesis 3:20, where Adam names her because she is the mother of all living. Wikipedia notes that Eva spread widely through the Latin Bible and is now more popular than Eve in most English-speaking countries. Evita is a Spanish pet form.
חַוָּה (Biblical Hebrew, “Chavvah, Eve”)חיה (Hebrew, “to live”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Eve, Evie, Ava, Evita, Chava.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Eve', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 3:20, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Eva', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Eva (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Eva
The usual nicknames for Eva are Evie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Eva in the last five years, 46 were named Evie, against 7 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evie · also for Evelina, Evelyn, Everly | Traditional | #270 | 5,688 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Evas go by each one.
Eva popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,007 since 1887.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #134 | 2,154 |
| 2020 | #93 | 2,847 |
| 2010 | #91 | 3,280 |
| 2000 | #294 | 1,088 |
| 1990 | #342 | 780 |
| 1980 | #298 | 838 |
| 1970 | #285 | 1,026 |
| 1960 | #204 | 1,685 |
| 1950 | #175 | 1,622 |
| 1940 | #132 | 1,890 |
| 1930 | #86 | 3,019 |
| 1920 | #58 | 4,498 |
| 1910 | #45 | 2,123 |
| 1900 | #33 | 2,089 |
| 1890 | #32 | 1,436 |
| 1880 | #41 | 614 |
How popular is Eva, counting every spelling?
Eva is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #158 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #134 for Eva on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,167 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eva | 2,154 | #134 | 12,288 |
| Evah | 13 | #8,020 | 82 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Eva?
2,154 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Eva (0.60 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Eva born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Eva.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Eva?
About 134,900 people born in the US named Eva are alive today, with a median age of 23; half are between 12 and 62. That makes Eva mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Eva by state
How common Eva was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.8×), Rhode Island (2.3×), Maine (2.2×), Alaska (2.0×), Delaware (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Eva: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Eva, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Eva · Sibling names for Eva
Eva is also a nickname for Evangeline.
Questions about the name Eva
What does Eva mean?
Eva means “life, living (form of Eve)” (Hebrew, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Eva?
Eva was the 134th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,154 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 31st; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,563). Over the last ten years it has moved down 58 places. More babies were named Eva in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Eva a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Eva in the US.
Where is Eva most popular?
In 2021–2025, Eva was most common in District of Columbia (5.74 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Vermont.