Yvonne is a female
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
. It is the feminine form of
Yvon, which is derived from the
French name
Yves and
Yvette
Yvette is female given name, the French feminine form of Yves, which means yew or archer in some cases.
Name days
*Czech Republic: ''7 June''
*Hungary: ''13 January'', ''6 May'' and ''29 June''
*Poland: ''13 January''
*Slovakia: ''27 May''
...
. It is from the French word ''iv'', meaning "yew" (or tree). Since yew wood was used for bows, Ivo may have been an
occupational name
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
meaning "
archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
". Yvonne/Ivonne is also a Spanish girl name.
This name first arrived in England with the
Norman invasion
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
, along with variations such as Yvette and male versions of the same name. It was the most popular of all of these names, but would fall out of favor. It was reintroduced into English-speaking countries in the early 20th century, when it was very popular. It is currently 173rd in the United States popular names list, but is an uncommon name in younger generations. It has also lost popularity in France, where in 1900 it was the 7th most popular name. It is a popular Protestant name in Northern Ireland.
Yvonne has several name days: May 26 in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and December 11th in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
People
This is a list of notable people with the first name Yvonne:
*
Yvonne Andres
Dr. Yvonne Marie Andrés is an American educator who is recognized as an e-learning pioneer and visionary. Andrés is the co-founder of the non-profit Global SchoolNet (1984) and the founder of the Global Schoolhouse (1992). Andrés was named one ...
, educator, e-learning pioneer and visionary.
*
Yvonne Arnaud
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud (20 December 1890 – 20 September 1958) was a French-born pianist, singer and actress, who was well known for her career in Britain, as well as her native land. After beginning a career as a concert pianist as a child, Ar ...
, French actress
*
Yvonne Borree Yvonne Borree is a former principal dancer at New York City Ballet. She was raised in Norfolk, Virginia, where she began her dance studies with the Tidewater Ballet Association at four years of age.
She attended the School of American Ballet for th ...
, New York City Ballet principal dancer
*
Yvonne Brewster
Yvonne Jones Brewster (née Clarke; born 7 October 1938) is a Jamaican actress, theatre director and businesswoman, known for her role as Ruth Harding in the BBC television soap opera ''Doctors''. She co-founded the theatre companies Talawa in ...
, Jamaican actress
*
Yvonne Bryceland
Yvonne Bryceland (18 November 1925 – 13 January 1992) was a South African stage actress. Some of her best-known work was in the plays of Athol Fugard.
Early life
She was born Yvonne Heilbuth in Cape Town, South Africa, the daughter of Adolphu ...
, South African actress
*
Yvonne Catterfeld
Yvonne Catterfeld (born 2 December 1979) is a German singer, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, she later moved to Leipzig to pursue her career in music. In 2000, she participated in the debut season of the ...
(born 1979), German singer
*
Yvonne Chaka Chaka
Yvonne Chaka Chaka (born Yvonne Machaka on 18 March 1965) is a South African singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher. Dubbed the "Princess of Africa" (a name she received after a 1990 tour), Chaka Chaka has been at t ...
, South African singer
*
Yvonne Chouteau
Myra Yvonne Chouteau () (March 7, 1929 – January 24, 2016) was an American ballerina and one of the " Five Moons" or Native ''prima ballerinas'' of Oklahoma. She was the only child of Corbett Edward and Lucy Annette Chouteau. She was born March ...
, Ballet dancer
*
Yvonne Coghill
Yvonne Veronica Coghill is a British National Health Service manager who currently serves on the NHS Equality and Diversity Council and is the Vice President of the Royal College of Nursing.
Early life
Coghill moved to the United Kingdom wi ...
, British public servant
*
Yvonne Craig
Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress and ballerina, who was renowned for her role as Batgirl in the 1960s television series '' Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 19 ...
, American ballet dancer
*
Yvonne Cryns
Yvonne Cryns (born 1951) is an American midwife and political activist. From 1991 to 2001, she served as a traditional midwife in Illinois and Wisconsin. Cryns has a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) designation.
As a childbirth activist, sh ...
(b. 1951), American midwife and political activist
*
Yvonne De Carlo
Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...
(1922–2007), Canadian-American actress, ''The Munsters''
*
Yvonne Dionne
The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood.
The Dionn ...
(b. 1934), Canadian quintuplet
*
Yvonne Fovargue
Yvonne Helen Fovargue (born 29 November 1956) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since 2010.
Early life and career
Fovargue attended Sale Grammar School and obtained a Bachelor of Arts ...
(born 1956), British politician
*
Yvonne Ndege
Yvonne Ndege is an international journalist, and media and communications professional. She started her career at the British Broadcasting Corporation, as a graduate trainee in London, United Kingdom.
Early life
Ndege's parents emigrated to the ...
, British Journalist
*
Yvonne Elkuch
Yvonne Elkuch (born 31 March 1968) is Liechtensteiner cyclist who came 47th in the road race at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She also competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul (; ; ), officially kno ...
, Liechtensteiner cyclist
*
Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...
, 70s pop music artist
*
Yvonne Hackenbroch
Yvonne Alix Hackenbroch (1912–2012), was a British museum curator and historian of jewellery.
Early life
Yvonne Alix Hackenbroch was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on 27 April 1912, the second of three daughters of the art dealer Zacharias ...
(1912–2012), British museum curator and historian of jewellery
*
Yvonne Hayes Hinson
Yvonne Hayes Hinson is an American politician who currently serves as the representative for Florida House of Representatives District 20 as a member of the Democratic Party.
Career
She was elected to the State House in 2020
2020 was ...
, American politician
*
Yvonne Hirdman
Yvonne Hirdman (born 18 January 1943) is a Swedish historian and gender researcher. She has received many awards for her work including the August Prize.
Early years and education
Yvonne Hirdman is the daughter of the language teacher Einar Hird ...
, Swedish historian and gender researcher
*
Yvonne Jacquette
Yvonne Jacquette (born 1934) is an American painter and printmaker known in particular for her depictions of aerial landscapes, especially her low-altitude and oblique aerial views of cities or towns, often painted using a distinctive, pointill ...
, American painter and printmaker
*
Yvonne Kenny
Yvonne Kenny AM (born 25 November 1950) is an Australian soprano, particularly associated with Handel, Mozart and bel canto roles.
Biography
Born in Sydney, she first studied at the University of Sydney in science, hoping to become a biochemi ...
, Australian opera singer
*
Yvonne Lindsay, romance novelist from New Zealand
*
Yvonne Loriod
Yvonne Louise Georgette Loriod-Messiaen (; 20 January 1924 – 17 May 2010) was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.
Biography
Loriod ...
(1924–2010), French pianist
*
Yvonne Meusburger
Yvonne Meusburger Garamszegi (née Meusburger, born 3 October 1983) is an Austrian retired tennis player.
Meusburger won one singles title on the WTA Tour, as well as fifteen singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF Circuit in her career. O ...
, Austrian tennis player
*
Yvonne Minton
Yvonne Fay Minton CBE (born 4 December 1938) is an Australian-born but mostly British-resident opera singer. She is variously billed as a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto.
A native of Sydney, she originally studied voice while on a scholarshi ...
, Australian opera singer
*
Yvonne Mosquito
Yvonne Mosquito (born 19 December 1964) is a British politician who served as the 109th Lord Mayor of Birmingham between 2018 and 2019 for the Labour Party. She has served as a member of Birmingham City Council from 1996, currently for the ward ...
*
Yvonne Mounsey
Yvonne Mounsey (2 September 1919 – 29 September 2012) was a South African-American ballet dancer and teacher. Described as "a dancer of glamour, wit, and striking presence," she spent ten years with the New York City Ballet (1949-1959), where sh ...
*
Yvonne McGregor
Yvonne McGregor MBE (born 9 April 1961) is a female English former professional cyclist from Wibsey. She was made an MBE, for services to cycling, in the 2002 New Year Honours.
Cycling career
McGregor competed in running until the age of 28, c ...
*
Yvonne O'Grady
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2004, by order of first appearance.
Eric Garside
Eric Garside, played by Peter Kay, appeared on 30 January 2004. Eric is a drayman who a ...
, British actress
*
Yvonne Printemps
Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally.
Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...
, French actress
*
Yvonne Rainer
Yvonne Rainer (born November 24, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, whose work in these disciplines is regarded as challenging and experimental. , American dancer
*
Yvonne Ridley
Yvonne Ridley (born 23 April 1958) is a British journalist, author and politician who holds several committee positions with the Alba Party in Scotland. She was a former chair of the National Council of the now-defunct Respect Party.
Ridley m ...
, British journalist
*
Yvonne Nelson
Yvonne Nelson (born November 12, 1985) is a Ghanaian actress, model, film producer and entrepreneur.[Yvonne Rust
Niria Yvonne Rust (19 November 1922 – 26 June 2002) was a New Zealand potter and artist.
Biography
Rust completed a diploma in fine arts in 1946 and became a high school art teacher, mostly in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, in New ...]
(1922 – 2002), New Zealand potter
*
Yvonne Ryding
Yvonne Agneta Ryding (born 14 December 1962, in Eskilstuna, Södermanland) is a Swedish dancer, model, TV Host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1984 on 9 July 1984. She is the third Swede in history to win the title, and the most r ...
, Miss Universe 1984
*
Yvonne Stokes
Yvonne Marie Stokes is an Australian mathematician whose research involves fluid mechanics, mathematical biology, and industrial applications of mathematics. She is a professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the University of ...
, Australian mathematician
*
Yvonne Strahovski
Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski (born 30 July 1982), known professionally as Yvonne Strahovski (), is an Australian actress. Primarily noted for her roles in dramatic television, she has received numerous awards and nominations, including two Pri ...
, Australian actress
*
Yvonne Tobis
Yvonne Tobis (איבונה טוביס; born February 5, 1948) is an Israeli former Olympic swimmer.
Early life
Tobis was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, and is Jewish. She attended Millfield in Street, Somerset, England, from 1963-66, and i ...
(b. 1948), Israeli Olympic swimmer
*
Yvonne van Gennip
Yvonne Maria Therèse van Gennip (born 1 May 1964) is one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters. Her main success dates from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where she unexpectedly won three gold medals. She was the ...
, Dutch Olympic speed skater
*
Yvonne Thompson
Yvonne Thompson CBE
Yvonne Thompson, , is a British business leader, who was a founding member of radio station Choice FM, music editor of ''Root'' magazine, managing director of marketing and PR company ASAP Communications, president of the Eur ...
, British business leader
Fictional characters
*
Miss Yvonne, ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' character
*
Yvonne Atkins
Yvonne Atkins is a fictional character from the award-winning prison drama series '' Bad Girls''. Portrayed by Linda Henry, Yvonne first appeared in the finale episode of Series 1. She played a prominent role in Series 2, 3, 4 and 5 as Top Dog o ...
, character from the British drama series
Bad Girls; portrayed by
Linda Henry
Linda Varilis (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV drama '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she has played since 2006. S ...
*
Yvonne Casey
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2004, by order of first appearance.
Eric Garside
Eric Garside, played by Peter Kay, appeared on 30 January 2004. Eric is a drayman who ...
, character from the British
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
, ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
''; portrayed by
Yvonne O'Grady
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2004, by order of first appearance.
Eric Garside
Eric Garside, played by Peter Kay, appeared on 30 January 2004. Eric is a drayman who a ...
*
Yvonne Cotton
The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2014 listed by order of first appearance. All new characters in 2014 were introduced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, executive producer.
Na ...
, character from the British soap opera, ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
''; portrayed by
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn (born 11 July 1962) is an Irish character actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'', Tip Haddem in the BBC ...
*
Yvonne Doyle (Fair City)
Yvonne Doyle, (previously Gleeson) is a fictional character in the Irish soap opera ''Fair City''. She was originally portrayed by Alex MacDowall (sister of Sarah MacDowall who plays Suzanne Doyle) and subsequently by Ciara O'Callaghan. The show ...
, character from the Irish soap opera ''
Fair City
''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several award ...
;'' portrayed by
Ciara O'Callaghan
Ciara O'Callaghan is an Irish actress. She appeared in '' The Clinic'' and ''Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars''. She is best known for her portrayal of Yvonne Gleeson on the Irish soap opera ''Fair City''. She first came into the s ...
.
*
Yvonne Jeffries
Yvonne Jeffries (previously Gregory) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She was portrayed by Alison Quigan in a guest stint in 2004, before returning in a regular role the following year. She remained on t ...
, character from the New Zealand soap opera ''
Shortland Street
''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...
;'' portrayed by Alison Quigan
*
Yvonne Teasley, ''
Beverly Hills, 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...
'' character; portrayed by
Denise Dowse
Denise Yvonne Dowse (February 21, 1958 – August 13, 2022) was an American actress and director. She was best known for her roles as Mrs. Yvonne Teasley in the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1991–2000), Judge Rebecca Damsen in ' ...
Variations
* German language: Ivonne
*
Dutch language
Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...
: Ivo
*
Italian language
Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...
: Ivana
*
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...
:
Iwona
Iwona is a Polish female name derived from the French name Yvonne.
People
Iwona may refer to:
*Iwona Blazwick OBE (born 1955), art critic and lecturer, Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London
* Iwona Buczkowska (born 1953), award- ...
*
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...
: Ivone
* Spanish language: Ivón, Ivona, Ivone.
*
Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
: Υβόννη (Yvonni)
*
Latvian language
Latvian ( ), also known as Lettish, is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Latvians and the official language of Latvia as well as ...
: Ivonna
*
Serbian language
Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and Kos ...
: Ивoна (
Ivona
Amazon Echo, often shortened to Echo, is an American brand of smart speakers developed by Amazon. Echo devices connect to the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service ''Alexa'', which will respond when a user says "Alexa". Users m ...
)
*
Macedonian language
Macedonian (; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic branch. Spoken as a first language by around two million ...
: Ивoна (Ivona)
*
Croatian language
Croatian (; ' ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language used by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina, and other neighboring countries. It is the official ...
: Ivona
*
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
: Aoibheann, Aoibhinn
*
Malaysian language
Malaysian Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Malaysia), also known as Standard Malay (Malay: ''Bahasa Melayu Standard''), ( English translation: Malaysian language), or simply Malay, is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia (as o ...
: Eevon
*
Slovene language
Slovene ( or ), or alternatively Slovenian (; or ), is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic language, a sub-branch that is part of the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family ...
: Ivona
*
Romanian language
Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Moldova, Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communi ...
: Ivona
*
Czech language
Czech (; Czech ), historically also Bohemian (; ''lingua Bohemica'' in Latin), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 10 million people, it serves as the official language of the Czech Re ...
: Ivona, Yvona, Ivana
See also
*
Evonne Evonne is a given name, an English respelling of Yvonne. Well-known women named Evonne include:
* Evonne Goolagong, one of the world's leading women's tennis players in the 1970s and early-1980s
* Evonne Hsu, Taiwanese pop singer
See also
*Evin ...
*
Siobhan
Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán.
It is de ...
References
Names DatabaseBehind the Name
{{given name
Feminine given names
English feminine given names
French feminine given names
German feminine given names
Dutch feminine given names
Norwegian feminine given names
Swedish feminine given names
Danish feminine given names