eve

Eve is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives from the name Chavah (Havah), traditionally linked to the idea of life or living, and entered English through Latin and Greek forms. The name has many international variants, including Eva, Evie, and Evelyn, and remains popular in many countries.

In the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, Eve is described as the first woman, created by God as a companion to Adam. According to Genesis, she was formed from Adam’s rib and lived in the Garden of Eden until she and Adam disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The narrative has influenced religious thought, art, and literature through the centuries and is often cited in discussions of temptation, responsibility, and human origins.

As a personal name, Eve has been widely used in English-speaking countries since at least the early modern period. It is common across various cultures and has produced numerous notable bearers in fields such as literature, science, entertainment, and public life. Variants and adaptations—such as Eva, Evie, and Evelyn—reflect different linguistic traditions and stylistic preferences.

Eve also has other uses in language. The term often denotes the period immediately preceding an event, as in Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. In popular culture, the name appears as a character in films and books, and as a title or name in video games (for example, EVE in the film Wall-E and EVE Online, a long-running space-themed online game). The word carries broad symbolic and cultural associations beyond its use as a given name.