girl's name
Evangeline
ee-VAN-je-leen
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 10
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 43,667
the United States
#147
2025 births
Evangeline is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "bearer of good news." It was coined by Longfellow for his 1847 poem, built from euangelion — the word English renders as gospel.
- Evangeline is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,998 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,659 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Evangeline over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 108 |
| 1890s | 300 |
| 1900s | 553 |
| 1910s | 1,552 |
| 1920s | 2,444 |
| 1930s | 1,973 |
| 1940s | 1,404 |
| 1950s | 1,411 |
| 1960s | 1,182 |
| 1970s | 821 |
| 1980s | 562 |
| 1990s | 716 |
| 2000s | 3,323 |
| 2010s | 11,610 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,812 |
What Evangeline means
Evangeline means bringer of good news, or bearer of the gospel. The Greek euangelion literally means good message, and gospel is its Old English translation — god spel, good news.
Where Evangeline comes from
Evangeline appears to have been invented by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for his 1847 narrative poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie, about a woman searching for her lost betrothed after the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. He built it from the Greek euangelion, good news, the root of evangelist and, by translation, of gospel itself — Old English god spel meaning exactly the same thing. The poem was enormously popular and made Evangeline a name in its own right; it remains a significant name in Acadian and Cajun communities.
Evangeline in use
Our data shows Evangeline peaking in 2025 — still climbing — and it first appears in our records in 1881, thirty-four years after the poem. It belongs to the same British and American revival of long ornate names as Ottilie, Aurelia, Beatrice and Ophelia.
How popular is Evangeline?
In 2025, Evangeline was given to 1,998 babies in the United States, ranking #147 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Evangeline is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Evangeline is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Evangéline | Evangéline is a rare spelling of Evangeline, written with an acute accent and recorded about 280 times, mostly in France. | 280 |
| Évangéline | Évangéline is a rare spelling of Evangeline, written with an acute accent and recorded about 125 times, mostly in France. | 125 |
| Évangeline | Évangeline is a rare spelling of Evangeline, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Evangeline
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Evangeline also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Evangeline over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
5 nicknames for Evangeline
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Evangeline in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Greek
- Evangelia
- Italian
- Evangelina
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Evangelene
Sibling names for Evangeline
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Evangeline — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Evangeline
What does the name Evangeline mean?
Evangeline means "bearer of good news," from the Greek euangelion.
Did Longfellow invent Evangeline?
He appears to have coined it for his 1847 poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie, and no earlier use is known.
Is Evangeline related to the word gospel?
Directly. Gospel is the Old English translation of euangelion — god spel, meaning good news.
How popular is the name Evangeline?
In 2025, Evangeline was given to 1,998 babies in the United States, ranking #147 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Evangeline a girl's or a boy's name?
Evangeline is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Evangeline?
Evangeline has 4 syllables.
When was Evangeline most popular?
Evangeline peaked in 2025, when 1,998 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Evangeline?
Evangeline is usually shortened to Eva, Evie, Angie, Lina and Vangie.
Is Evangeline a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Evangeline currently ranks #147 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.