Gender Feminine
Scripts חַוָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈiːv/(English)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

From the Hebrew name חַוָּה (Ḥawwa), which was derived from the Hebrew word חָוָה (ḥawa) meaning "to breathe" or the related word חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning "to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century, with the latter being more common.

Related Names

Rootḥawa
VariantsAva, Avah, Eva(English) Eeva, Eva, Eevi(Estonian)
DiminutivesEvie, Evvie, Eveleen(English)
Other Languages & CulturesHawa(Arabic) Eva, Yeva(Armenian) Həvva(Azerbaijani) Eua(Biblical Greek) Chawwa(Biblical Hebrew) Eva(Biblical Latin) Eva(Bulgarian) Khava(Chechen) Eva(Croatian) Eva(Czech) Eva, Evy(Danish) Eva, Eef, Eefje, Evi, Evy(Dutch) Eva(Faroese) Eeva, Eevi(Finnish) Éva, Ève(French) Eva(Georgian) Eva, Evi(German) Eva, Evi(Greek) Hauwa, Hauwa'u(Hausa) Chava, Hava(Hebrew) Éva, Évike(Hungarian) Eva(Icelandic) Khava(Ingush) Éabha(Irish) Eva(Italian) Ieva, Evita(Latvian) Ieva(Lithuanian) Eva(Macedonian) Eva, Evy(Norwegian) Ewa(Polish) Eva(Portuguese) Eva(Romanian) Eva, Yeva(Russian) Eva(Slovak) Eva(Slovene) Hawo, Xaawo(Somali) Eva, Evelia, Evita(Spanish) Hawa(Swahili) Eva, Evy(Swedish) Havva(Turkish) Yeva(Ukrainian) Efa(Welsh) Awa, Haoua(Western African)
Same SpellingÈve
User SubmissionsÊve, Eve

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   refined   simple   serious  

Name Days

Estonia: December 24

Images

Depiction of Adam and Eve by Mihály Zichy (1861)Depiction of Adam and Eve by Mihály Zichy (1861)

Categories

Entry updated October 6, 2024