Evalyn waltzes onto the stage like a sitar riff sliding into a jazz jam—familiar yet delightfully unexpected. A sprightly spin on the vintage Evelyn, her roots reach back to medieval French Aveline, a name that once meant “hazelnut” and later gathered the softer Germanic sense of “desired child.” Depending on which side of the Atlantic the monsoon clouds have carried her, she answers to either EE-vuh-lin or EV-uh-lin, but she never loses her lilting grace. History shows her popularity cresting during the Roaring Twenties, dozing gently for decades, then sashaying upward again as modern parents rediscover her old-world sparkle. She evokes images of pearl-embroidered saris twirling through a spring festival, the fragrance of jasmine mingling with fresh-ground coffee, and a fearless heroine in a black-and-white Bollywood classic—elegant, resilient, unafraid of the spotlight. Evalyn, in short, is a timeless melody: sweet on the tongue, strong in the story, and ready for an encore.
Evalyn Walsh McLean - |