NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Eve

A feminine name of Hebrew origin representing "life".

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.

Eve is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Eve popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #242, with 199 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2001, with 976 births.

This profile covers 14,920 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 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 18,848 living people in the UK are called Eve. 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

  • Eve ranked #242 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 199 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2001, when 976 girls were registered as Eve.
  • Eve ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #124 in 2024.
  • About 18,848 living people in the UK are estimated to have Eve as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#242

2024

Births in 2024

199

Latest year

Peak year

2001

976 births

Estimated living

18,848

2026

Meaning

What does Eve mean?

The name Eve has its origins in the Hebrew name Chavvah, which means "life-giver" or "source of life." It is derived from the Hebrew word "chayah," meaning "to live." This name is deeply rooted in religious and cultural significance, dating back to ancient times.

According to the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, Eve was the first woman created by God and the wife of Adam, the first man. She is referred to as "the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) and plays a pivotal role in the biblical narrative of the creation of humankind.

The name Eve appears in various ancient texts, including the Torah, the Christian Bible, and the Quran. It has been a popular name among people of Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths for centuries, symbolizing the beginning of human life and the profound significance of motherhood.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eve dates back to the 5th century BC, when a woman named Eve is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, a work of the Apocrypha. Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Eve, leaving their mark in various fields.

Eve, the mistress of the 18th-century French philosopher and writer Voltaire (1694-1778), was a prominent figure in Parisian society. Eve Curie (1904-2007), the daughter of Marie Curie and Pierre Curie, was a renowned author and humanitarian who worked tirelessly for social causes.

Eve Arden (1908-1990) was an American actress and comedienne, known for her sharp wit and memorable performances in films and television shows. Eve Ensler (born 1953) is a renowned playwright, activist, and author, best known for her groundbreaking work "The Vagina Monologues."

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (1950-2009) was a highly influential American academic and pioneer in the field of queer theory, whose works explored gender and sexuality. These are just a few examples of the many remarkable women who have carried the name Eve throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Eve over time

The chart below shows babies named Eve 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 Eve, the clearest high point is 2001. The latest England and Wales figure is 199 births in 2024, compared with 976 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Eve
0244488732976199620102024

Decades

Eve by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Eve 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 #231 1,084 5
2010s #160 3,577 10
2000s #68 8,400 10
1990s #111 1,859 4

Geography

Where Eve is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Eve. 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.

Eve ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #124 in 2024.

Scotland
36
Northern Ireland
14

Across the UK

Eve in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#124 in 2024

51 years of NRS records, 2,966 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#144 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 1,075 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Eve

  • Eve Ridley

    actor; dub actor

    English actress (born 2011)

    2011-

  • Eve O'Carroll

    association football player

    Irish association footballer

    2007-

  • Eve Thomas

    swimmer

    New Zealand swimmer

    2001-

  • Eve White

    actor; literary agent

    English actor and literary agent

    2000-

  • Eve Stewart

    rower

    British rower

    1998-

  • Eve Muirhead

    curler

    Scottish curler

    1990-

  • Eve Leigh

    theatre director

    British theatre director

    1984-

  • Eve Myles

    actor; television presenter; stage actor; film actor; television actor

    Welsh actress (born 1978)

    1978-

Related

Names similar to Eve

FAQ

Eve: questions and answers

How popular is the name Eve in the UK right now?

In 2024, Eve was ranked #242 for girls in England and Wales, with 199 births registered.

When was Eve most popular?

The peak year on record was 2001, with 976 babies registered as Eve in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Eve?

A feminine name of Hebrew origin representing "life".

How many people are called Eve in the UK?

A total of 14,920 babies have been registered as Eve across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 2,966 more in Scotland and 1,075 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Eve most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Eve ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #124 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.