Fun Facts About the Name Yves
- More than 1 thousand babies named Yves: U.S. records list 1,260 babies given the name Yves from 1880 through 2025. Even 59 girls received the name Yves - about 1 girl for every 20 boys.
What Does the Name Yves Mean?
Yves is a masculine French given name and the French form of the Germanic name Ivo, whose literal meaning is 'yew tree.' The root is the Proto-Germanic *īwaz or *īwa-, the yew, which appears in Old High German as īwa and Old English as īw. The name came into French through Medieval Latin Ivo and Old French Ives; the final -s in Yves reflects an Old French masculine nominative ending. Because yew wood was used for bows, the name is sometimes interpreted as 'archer' or 'bowman,' but that is a customary gloss rather than the literal etymology.
Yves Name History & Origins
The Germanic name Ivo was used in medieval Europe and appears in Latin records in that form. In Old French it became Ives, which developed into the modern French Yves. The name was borne by Saint Ivo of Chartres (c. 1040 - 1115), a bishop and canon lawyer, and by Saint Yves of Kermartin (1253 - 1303), a Breton priest and lawyer who was canonized in 1347. Saint Yves is a patron saint of Brittany, and the name has been traditional in Brittany and other French-speaking regions.
The English surname Ives comes from the same given name. Modern bearers include the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, the artist Yves Klein, and the actor and singer Yves Montand.
How Popular is the Name Yves?
Yves has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1985. Its best rank was #1,692 in 1981.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,895 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #15,182 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #10,271 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,964 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #19,200 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #11,503 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #14,536 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,412 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,598 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #5,423 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #7,276 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #7,243 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #4,359 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #6,608 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #7,156 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #5,531 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #4,586 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #6,045 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #6,313 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #8,762 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #8,098 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #6,292 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #7,489 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #10,739 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #8,296 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #7,686 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #6,254 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #8,712 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #6,213 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #8,133 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #6,247 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #5,715 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #4,669 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #4,384 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #5,312 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #7,547 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #4,662 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #3,199 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #5,495 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #3,211 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1993 | #3,658 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #3,336 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1991 | #2,827 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #2,694 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1989 | #2,900 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #2,303 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1987 | #2,468 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #2,095 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1985 | #1,697 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1984 | #2,096 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1983 | #2,910 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #2,268 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1981 | #1,692 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1980 | #2,057 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #2,377 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1978 | #2,667 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #2,457 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1976 | #2,177 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1975 | #2,539 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #1,982 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #2,855 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #2,532 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1971 | #2,277 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1970 | #3,280 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #1,974 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1968 | #3,106 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,350 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #2,042 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1965 | #2,176 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #3,045 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #2,857 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #1,757 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1961 | #2,321 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1960 | #1,812 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1959 | #2,818 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #3,029 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,939 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,500 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,340 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,729 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #3,361 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #3,679 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #4,201 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,312 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1932 | #4,278 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #4,833 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #4,526 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Yves
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with Y
Short Boy Names That Start with Y
How the Name Yves Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Yves's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yves's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.