Eileen

E1I1L1E1E1N1
/aɪˈliːn//ˈaɪliːn/

proper noun

A female given name from Irish.

OriginIrish Eibhlín ← Old French Aveline ← Old Irish oíph →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Aileen · alternative Eyleen

  1. A female given name from Irish.

    Come on Eileen / Oh, I swear (What he means) / At this moment / You mean everything

    1982, “Come On Eileen”, in Too-Rye-Ay, performed by Dexys Midnight Runners

Origin

  1. Old Irishoíph“radiance, beauty”
  2. Old FrenchAveline
  3. IrishEibhlín
  4. EnglishEileen

From Anglicized forms of Irish Eibhlín, Eilín or Aibhilín in Middle English and Modern English, all cognates of Evelyn from Old French Aveline. Sometimes also used for the Irish name Éibhleann, possibly from Old Irish oíph (“radiance, beauty”).

More words from Irish, Old French, Old Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Eileen

beenbetweengreenmagazinemeanseenscreenmachinecleangenescenedeanjeanroutineHalloweenbeancuisinevaccineEugeneChristineleanfifteengasolinekeen
All rhymes →

Anagrams

lienee
Cite this entry
APA

Eileen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eileen

MLA

“Eileen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eileen. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Eileen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Eileen.

Source: Eileen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.