Evangeline

How to say it

/ɪˈvæn.dʒə.liːn/

What it means

Greek eu ('good') + angelion ('news, message'), the same root as 'evangelist.' Henry Wadsworth Longfellow coined the feminine form in his 1847 narrative poem Evangeline about the Acadian expulsion.

Evangeline comes from the Greek eu ('good') + angelion ('news, message') — literally 'good news,' the same root as 'evangelist' and 'gospel' (Old English gōd-spell, a calque of evangelium). The given name was effectively coined by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 narrative poem Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie, about a young Acadian woman separated from her betrothed during the Great Upheaval (the British expulsion of French settlers from Nova Scotia). The poem became one of the most-read works in 19th-century America. As a given name Evangeline was steady but quiet through the 20th century; it's surging since 2010 with the broader vintage-revival wave. Common shorts: Eva, Evie, Vangie, Angie.

Heads-up notes

• Nickname

  Eva and Evie are the dominant modern shorts; Angie was the 20th-century form.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Evangeline (Longfellow) Heroine of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1847 narrative poem about the Acadian expulsion
• Evangeline Lilly Canadian actress, Kate in Lost and Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man

Spelling variants

• Evangelina
• Evangelista

Names with the same feeling

• Genevieve Tribe woman
• Isabella God is my oath
• Josephine He will add
• Vivienne Alive, lively
• Victoria Victory

See Evangeline from another angle