Pronunciation | /ˈiːv/ French: [iv] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Meaning | yew |
Region of origin | Francophone countries |
Other names | |
Related names | Erwan, Evette, Ives, Ivet, Iveta, Ivette, Ivo, Iwo, Yvette, Yvo, Yve |
Yves (French pronunciation: [iv]; in English as /ˈiːv/ EEV) is a common French male given name of uncertain origin, either from Celtic as in the Gaulish name Ivo (Iuo) and compound names Ivorix (Iuo-rigi or Iue-ricci) and Ivomagus (Iuo-magi), all derived from the Gaulish term for yew, iuos or īuos,[1] or from Germanic, derived from Proto-Germanic *īwaz, *īhwaz (compare Icelandic ýr), masculine variant of *īwō (compare Dutch ijf, German Eibe), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHweh₂, meaning yew.[2] Related names include Erwan[n] (though another etymology has been suggested), Evette, Ives, Ivet, Iveta, Ivette, Ivo, Iwo, Yve, Yvette (the feminine form of Yves), Yvo, Yvon, Yvonne, and many other diminutives (mainly from Brittany).[3] The etymology of the French common name if "yew tree" is disputed the same way as the first name Yves, whether it is Gaulish or Germanic.