UK girl's name
Eva
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "life" or "life-giver".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Eva is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Eva popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #54, with 819 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 1,946 births.
This profile covers 29,738 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 42% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 36,290 living people in the UK are called Eva. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Eva ranked #54 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 819 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 1,946 girls were registered as Eva.
- • Eva ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #42 in 2024.
- • About 36,290 living people in the UK are estimated to have Eva as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#54
2024
Births in 2024
819
Latest year
Peak year
2012
1,946 births
Estimated living
36,290
2026
Meaning
What does Eva mean?
The name Eva is derived from the Hebrew name Chavah, which means "life-giver" or "source of life." It is the original name given to the first woman in the biblical Book of Genesis. In the Hebrew Bible, Chavah is said to be the mother of all living beings, created by God from the rib of Adam, the first man.
The name Eva is a latinized version of the Hebrew name, and it was popularized in various European languages, including English, German, Spanish, and Italian. The earliest recorded use of the name Eva dates back to the 13th century in English and German texts.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Eva comes from the 14th century English poem "Cursor Mundi," which retells the story of the creation and the fall of Adam and Eve. The name Eva also appears in several other medieval literary works, such as the 14th century German poem "Der Ackermann aus Böhmen" by Johannes von Tepl.
In the 16th century, the name Eva gained popularity in various European countries due to the influence of the Protestant Reformation and the renewed focus on the Bible. One of the most famous historical figures with the name Eva was Eva von Trott zu Solz (1901-1944), a German resistance fighter against the Nazi regime during World War II.
Another notable Eva in history was Eva Perón (1919-1952), the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón and a powerful political figure in her own right. Known as "Evita," she was a champion of the working class and played a significant role in securing women's suffrage in Argentina.
Eva Braun (1912-1945) was the long-time companion and, briefly, the wife of Adolf Hitler. Although controversial, she remains one of the most well-known historical figures with the name Eva.
Eva Duarte (1919-1952), better known as Eva Perón or Evita, was an Argentine political leader and activist who played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement and the rights of the working class in Argentina.
Eva Hesse (1936-1970) was a renowned American artist known for her pioneering work in the field of sculpture, particularly her innovative use of unconventional materials such as latex, fiberglass, and plastics.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Eva over time
The chart below shows babies named Eva registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Eva, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 819 births in 2024, compared with 1,946 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eva by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Eva was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #46 | 5,069 | 5 |
| 2010s | #31 | 16,465 | 10 |
| 2000s | #98 | 7,529 | 10 |
| 1990s | #239 | 675 | 4 |
Geography
Where Eva is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Eva. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Eva ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #42 in 2024.
Across the UK
Eva in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#62 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 4,324 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#42 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 2,408 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Eva
-
Eva zu Beck
television presenter; vlogger
Polish travel blogger, vlogger and TV host
1991-
-
Eva Alexander
actor; television presenter
actress
1976-
-
Eva Rothschild
artist; sculptor; video artist; draftsperson
Irish artist
1972-
-
Eva Pope
actor; film actor
English actress
1967-
-
Eva Rausing
physician; businessperson
businesswoman and philanthropist
1964-2012
-
Eva Mottley
actor; film actor
British actress (1953-1985)
1953-1985
-
Eva Moore
actor; stage actor; film actor
English actress (1868–1955)
1942-1955
-
Eva Schloss
photographer; writer; painter; biographer; memoirist
Austrian‑British Holocaust survivor and memoirist (1929–2026)
1929-2026
Related
Names similar to Eva
- Emily 121,621
- Ella 69,101
- Ellie 63,522
- Evie 52,944
- Emma 50,755
- Eleanor 40,576
- Elizabeth 39,225
- Erin 34,816
- Evelyn 26,911
- Elsie 23,671
- Emilia 22,167
- Esme 20,606
FAQ
Eva: questions and answers
How popular is the name Eva in the UK right now?
In 2024, Eva was ranked #54 for girls in England and Wales, with 819 births registered.
When was Eva most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 1,946 babies registered as Eva in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Eva?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "life" or "life-giver".
How many people are called Eva in the UK?
A total of 29,738 babies have been registered as Eva across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4,324 more in Scotland and 2,408 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Eva most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Eva ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #42 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.