Head to head · Girls' names
Evangeline vs Genevieve
#147 vs #148 in 2025
Evangeline is a whisker ahead (#147 vs #148 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Evangeline is climbing the charts fast, Genevieve is holding its place on the charts.
Each name in full: Evangeline · Genevieve
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Evangeline and Genevieve each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Evangeline — climbing the charts fast. About 29,500 people named Evangeline are estimated to be alive in the US today.
Genevieve — holding its place on the charts. About 58,500 people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Evangeline #668, Genevieve #184 — Genevieve higher
- 1890s: Evangeline #558, Genevieve #151 — Genevieve higher
- 1900s: Evangeline #455, Genevieve #121 — Genevieve higher
- 1910s: Evangeline #455, Genevieve #84 — Genevieve higher
- 1920s: Evangeline #436, Genevieve #112 — Genevieve higher
- 1930s: Evangeline #474, Genevieve #194 — Genevieve higher
- 1940s: Evangeline #655, Genevieve #320 — Genevieve higher
- 1950s: Evangeline #804, Genevieve #510 — Genevieve higher
- 1960s: Evangeline #981, Genevieve #622 — Genevieve higher
- 1970s: Evangeline #1368, Genevieve #508 — Genevieve higher
- 1980s: Evangeline #1972, Genevieve #461 — Genevieve higher
- 1990s: Evangeline #2010, Genevieve #530 — Genevieve higher
- 2000s: Evangeline #1215, Genevieve #389 — Genevieve higher
- 2010s: Evangeline #280, Genevieve #206 — Genevieve higher
- 2020s: Evangeline #215, Genevieve #161 — Genevieve higher
Genevieve stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Evangeline | Genevieve |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #668 | #184 |
| 1890s | #558 | #151 |
| 1900s | #455 | #121 |
| 1910s | #455 | #84 |
| 1920s | #436 | #112 |
| 1930s | #474 | #194 |
| 1940s | #655 | #320 |
| 1950s | #804 | #510 |
| 1960s | #981 | #622 |
| 1970s | #1368 | #508 |
| 1980s | #1972 | #461 |
| 1990s | #2010 | #530 |
| 2000s | #1215 | #389 |
| 2010s | #280 | #206 |
| 2020s | #215 | #161 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Evangeline
bringer of good news
From Greek eu- "good" and angelma "message" — the same roots behind the word evangel, or gospel.
euangelion (Greek, "good news") → Evangelium (Latin) → Evangelia / Evangelos (Greek) → Evangelina → Evangeline
How it traveled
The parts are ancient Greek: eu- "good" joined to the word for message, the pair of them behind evangelium, the Latin word for gospel. The name Evangelia and its masculine partner Evangelos have been in steady use among Greek-speaking Christians for centuries.
Genevieve
Not settled — the leading readings point to Gaulish words for kin or tribe
The Latin form Genovefa is well documented from the fifth century onward, but its etymology is not. One line of scholarship reads the first part as a Gaulish element meaning 'kin, people, tribe'; another proposes a Germanic origin along the lines of Kunowefa, with 'woman' or 'wife' as the second element. Neither has won. The name is much better attested than its meaning.
Genovefa → Geneviève → Genevieve
How it traveled
The name enters the record as Genovefa, borne by Genevieve of Paris, the fifth-century woman credited with rallying the city as Attila's forces approached — she became its patron saint, and her cult kept the name alive in France through the Middle Ages. French speakers wore it down to Geneviève, and Norman French carried it across the Channel, where English speakers dropped the accents and settled on Genevieve.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Evangeline
ee-VAN-juh-leen
Stress on the second syllable. The ending goes both ways: some families say -leen, others -lin or -line. Both are established, so it is worth deciding early which one you will correct people toward.
- Evie — The most common informal short form in current American use; also given as a name on its own.
- Eva — Informal or formal; a long-established independent given name in many languages.
- Eve — A clean one-syllable option, and a standalone name with its own long history.
- Lina — Taken from the end of the name; used as a full given name in Arabic, German and Scandinavian contexts.
- Also Vangie, Angie.
Genevieve
JEN-uh-veev
That is the settled English pronunciation. The French Geneviève is zhuhn-vee-EV, and some families use it; both are correct for their own language, so it is worth deciding which one you will offer when people ask.
- Evie — Informal short form taken from the middle of the name; also stands alone as a given name in its own right.
- Viv — Informal; overlaps with the short form of Vivian, so it may need explaining.
- Gen — Informal and quick, common among schoolmates and family.
- Genny — Informal; sometimes spelled Jenny, which pulls it toward Jennifer.
- Also Neve, Ginny.
One short form, two names
- Evangeline and Genevieve both shorten to Evie.
Short forms as recorded on each name’s own page. This is here so it is a decision rather than a discovery.
Who has carried each name
Evangeline
Evangeline Lilly (b. 1979) — Lost's Kate and Marvel's Wasp
Genevieve
Genevieve of Paris (b. 423) — Patron saint of Paris who rallied the city against Attila the Hun
Genevieve Nnaji (b. 1979) — Nollywood superstar and director
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Evangeline if you want…
- a name on the way upup 111 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itEvangeline runs 4 syllables, Genevieve 3
- a newer arrivalEvangeline entered the US charts in 1881
- a name that feels very nowEvangeline is climbing the charts fast
Choose Genevieve if you want…
- a name holding steadyGenevieve is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesGenevieve is 3 syllables to Evangeline's 4
- a long American recordGenevieve was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 25% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 56% for Evangeline
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Evangeline
Strengths
- An unusually deep bench of short forms — Evie, Eva, Eve, Lina — so the same child can have a formal name and an everyday one.
- Recognizable across languages: Greek Evangelia, Spanish and Italian Evangelina, French Évangéline all trace the same roots.
- Spelled the way it sounds once heard, and anchored by the familiar word evangel; most people will get it right on the second try.
To consider
- The wave is very recent and still building, so a child named Evangeline now will likely meet more of them over a lifetime than the current classroom suggests.
- Four syllables invites shortening, and the shortenings lead straight into Eva, Evie and Evelyn — a crowded corner of the girls' charts right now. You may hear her called by one of those far more than by her full name.
- The eu-angel root means "good news" in the gospel sense, and some Americans hear the word evangelical in it. That reads as a plus in some families and as a signal in others; it is worth knowing which one your circle hears.
Genevieve
Strengths
- A documented record stretching back to late antiquity, with a continuous line from Latin Genovefa through French Geneviève.
- Recognizable in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Polish, each with its own established form of the same name.
- An unusually generous set of established short forms — Evie, Viv, Gen, Neve — so the child has real choices later.
To consider
- The spelling is known but not automatic: Genevive and Genivieve turn up, and Guinevere — a separate Welsh name entirely — gets confused with it. Expect to spell it aloud sometimes.
- Two pronunciations circulate, English JEN-uh-veev and French zhuhn-vee-EV, and both are legitimate. Families usually pick one early and repeat it.
- Four syllables is a lot to pair with a long surname, though the short forms take the weight off in daily use.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Evangeline
56%chance Evangeline feels dated by 2040
Evangeline is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Genevieve
25%chance Genevieve feels dated by 2040
Genevieve peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Evangeline and Genevieve in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Evangeline and Genevieve?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Evangeline and Genevieve — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Evangeline or Genevieve — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Evangeline or Genevieve?
- Evangeline, in 2025: Evangeline ranked #147 with 1,998 babies; Genevieve ranked #148 with 1,981 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Evangeline or Genevieve?
- Evangeline. Over the last five years Evangeline moved up 111 places; Genevieve moved up 21 places.
- Which is the older name, Evangeline or Genevieve?
- Evangeline entered the US charts in 1881; Genevieve was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Genevieve is the older name.
- How many people are named Evangeline and Genevieve?
- About 29,500 people named Evangeline are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 58,500 people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Do Evangeline and Genevieve share a nickname?
- Yes — both shorten to Evie, so in a house with both names the short form would not say which child is meant.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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