Eileen
1312193
213915710
2008-05-21T09:54:30Z
Espoo
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{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: large;" | '''Eileen'''
|-
! Gender:
| Female
|-
! Origin:
| Irish / Germanic
|-
! Meaning:
| ''desired'' (possibly)
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" | {{{footnotes|}}}
|}
'''Eileen''' (pronounced eye-LEEN [ai 'li:n]) is a female [[first name]]. It is the Anglicised version of Irish [[Eibhlín]], which is in turn a form of the older Irish Gaelic [[Aibhilín]] or [[Eilín]] (Anglicised as [[Aveline]]). Aveline is probably derived from ''Ava'', which is of Germanic origin but whose meaning is uncertain, though it possibly means "desired".<ref>{{cite web | title=Where does the name Eileen come from? | url=http://www.blurtit.com/q988011.html | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Eileen | url=http://www.behindthename.com/name/eileen | accessdate=2008-05-14}}</ref> "Eileen" also means "light."{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
It is reported <ref>{{cite web | title=Babies Named Eileen | url=http://www.thenamemachine.com/baby-names-girls/Eileen.html | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> that the name Eileen has been one of the 1,000 most popular girl's names in the United States in every decade since 1880.
Besides being a [[first name]], '''Eileen''' may refer to:
* [[Eileen, Wisconsin]]
* [[Eileen (musical)]]
* Eileen Aroon, a song written by [[Thomas Connellan]]
* Eileen, a song from [[Keith Richards]]' album [[Main Offender]]
== See also ==
* [[Evelyn]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Given names]]
{{disambig}}
[[nl:Eileen]]
[[pt:Eileen]]