Meaning & History
Yvonne is a feminine given name used across multiple European languages, including Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish. It is the French feminine form of Yvon, which itself is a medieval diminutive of Yves. The ultimate root is the Germanic name Ivo 1, originally a short form of names beginning with the element iwa meaning "yew" – a tree whose wood was valued for making bows. This suggests that Ivo may have originally been an occupational name meaning "archer". Alternative theories propose a cognate Celtic element.
The name Yvonne first arrived in England with the Norman Conquest and was reintroduced later, gaining regular use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century. It attained its peak popularity in France around 1900, ranking as the 7th most popular name for girls there then, though it has since declined. According to recent United States data, it ranked 173rd
Name Days & Geography
Various name days are observed for Yvonne depending on country: May 26 in Sweden, and December 11 in Ireland and Scotland.
Variants
Related forms include the English variant Evonne and the Dutch Ivonne. The masculine equivalents are Yves and Yvon in French. In other languages, variants include Catalan Ivet / Ivette, Czech Iva / Yveta, and Slovak Ivona / Iveta.
- Meaning: yew (or archer)
- Origin: French, derived from Yvon, ultimately from Ivo
- Type: First name
- Regions: Denmark, Netherlands, United States / United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Yvonne