Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

anglicised from Eibhlín, an Irish form of the Norman French name Aveline, which is derived from the Germanic ''Avi'', possibly meaning ''

desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

'' in combination with the

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

''el'' and ''-in''. It is related to the English name Evelyn and the variant name

Aileen Aileen is an Irish feminine given name, a variant of Eileen. Notable people with this name include: People * Aileen Adams (born 1923), British consultant anaesthetist * Aileen Allen (1888–1950), American diver * Aileen Armitage (born 1930), ...

. The name Eileen has been featured in classic Irish songs. It may refer to:

People

Artists

Eileen Agar Eileen Forrester Agar (1 December 1899 – 17 November 1991) was an Argentine-British painter and photographer associated with the Surrealist movement. Biography Agar was born in Buenos Aires, to a Scottish father and American mother. Her fathe ...

(1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer * Eileen Andjelkovitch (1896–1941), British violinist *

Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher (June 6, 1951) is an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the women's clothing brand Eileen Fisher Inc. Biography Fisher grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois, the second of the seven children. When Fisher ...

(born 1951), clothing retailer and designer *

Eileen Folson Eileen M. Folson (born Eileen M. Garden, 1956 – February 4, 2007) was a Broadway composer, professional cellist, and a Grammy nominee. Early life and education Folson was born in 1956 as the fourth of six children. She began playing piano at arou ...

(1956–2007), Broadway composer *

Eileen Ford Eileen Cecile Ford (née Otte; March 25, 1922 – July 9, 2014) was an American modeling agency executive. Along with her husband Gerard W. Ford, Gerard "Jerry" Ford, she co-founded Ford Models in 1946, which emerged as one of the earliest and m ...

(1922–2014), American model agency executive *

Eileen Gray Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish interior designer, furniture designer and architect who became a pioneer of the Modern architecture, Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, s ...

(1878–1976), Irish furniture designer and architect * Eileen Hazell (1903–1984), Canadian sculptor and potter * Eileen Ramsay (1915–2017), British maritime photographer * Eileen Shields (born 1970), American footwear designer and entrepreneur

Entertainers

* Eileen (singer) (born 1941), American-born singer in France *

Eileen Atkins Dame Eileen June Atkins (born 15 June 1934) is an English actress. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting ...

(born 1934), English actress *

Eileen Barton Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an American singer best known for her 1950 hit song, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake." Early years Barton was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as ...

(1924–2006), American singer * Eileen Bellomo, member of rock group The Stilettos *

Eileen April Boylan Eileen April Boylan (born May 10, 1987) is an American film and television actress. She stands and is of Filipino and Irish descent. Biography Boylan was born in Acton, California. Film Boylan made her film debut playing a younger versio ...

(born 1987), Filipina/Irish-American actress *

Eileen Brennan Eileen Brennan (born Verla Eileen Regina Brennen; September 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013) was an American actress. She made her film debut in the satire '' Divorce American Style'' (1967), followed by a supporting role in Peter Bogdanovich's ''The ...

(1932–2013), American actress *

Eileen Catterson Miss Scotland is a national beauty pageant in Scotland. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter. The contest, whose title is owned by the Miss World organisation, is organised each year by Janis Sue Smith Director of The Catwalk Acade ...

, Scottish fashion model and former Miss Scotland *

Eileen Daly Eileen Mary Theresa Daly (born 1 June 1963) is an English actress, director, film producer, writer, singer, presenter, songwriter and former adult film performer. She is also a contemporary scream queen, having starred in numerous cult film, cu ...

(born 1963), English actress, singer and director *

Eileen Davidson Eileen Marie Davidson (born June 15, 1959)Peterson, Bettelou (Knight-Ridder)"Here's the Lowdown on Eileen Davidson". ''The Ledger Enquirer TV Book''. June 12, 1988. p. 60. Retrieved August 28, 2023.Barrand, Roderick (March 30, 1988)"After ...

(born 1959), American film actress *

Eileen Derbyshire Eileen Derbyshire (born 6 October 1931) is an English retired actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She played the character for 55 years from January 1961 to January 2016 (w ...

(born 1930), English character actress *

Eileen DeSandre Eileen DeSandre is an American stage actor and a member of the Actors' Equity Association. Known for much of her career as a character actor in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, she has more recently taken lead roles in a vari ...

, American actress *

Eileen Essell Eileen Joan Essell (8 October 1922 – 15 February 2015) was an English actress, noted in part for not beginning her screen acting career until the age of 79. Career Essell retired from stage acting in 1958 following her marriage to playwright ...

(1922–2015), Irish actress *

Eileen Farrell Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed ...

(1920–2002), American opera and concert singer *

Eileen Fulton Eileen Fulton (born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty; September 13, 1933) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is known for her television role as Lisa Grimaldi on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'', which she played almost continuo ...

(born 1933), American actress *

Eileen Heckart Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years. Early life Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio. Her mother Esther () wed Leo ...

(1919–2001), American actress *

Eileen Helsby Eileen Helsby (born 30 June 1937) is a British actress with several television credits. She appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' serial '' The Ark'', ''Z-Cars'', '' Doomwatch'', '' Looking for Clancy'', '' Survivors'', ''Angels'', ''Juliet Bravo ...

(born 1937), British actress *

Eileen Herlie Eileen Herlie (8 March 1918 – 8 October 2008) was a Scottish-American actress. Personal life Eileen Herlie was born Eileen Isobel Herlihy to an Irish Catholic father, Patrick Herlihy, and a Scottish Protestant mother, Isobel Cowden, in ...

(1918–2008), Scottish-American actress *

Eileen Ivers Eileen Ivers (born July 13, 1965) is an American fiddler. Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents, grew up in the Bronx and attended St. Barnabas High School. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nin ...

(born 1965), Irish-American musician *

Eileen Joyce Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG (1908–1991) was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years. Her recordings made her popular in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War II. At h ...

(1908–1991), Australian pianist *

Eileen McCallum Eileen McCallum, MBE (born 2 December 1936) is a Scottish actress who is best known for playing the part of shopkeeper Isabel Blair through the complete run of soap opera ''Take the High Road'' from 1980 to 2003, and as Liz Hamilton from 2005 t ...

(born 1936), Scottish actress *

Eileen O'Brien (actress) Eileen O'Brien is an English actress who has played a wide variety of roles in British television over many years. She appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' as Beattie Dixon in 2013, having previously appeared in the show as teacher Bri ...

, English actress *

Eileen Pollock Eileen Pollock (18 May 1947 – 19 December 2020) was a Northern Irish actress whose work included political theatre, pantomime, and the role of Lilo Lil in television series ''Bread''. Early life Pollock was born in Belfast, and studied langu ...

(1947–2020), Northern Ireland actress * Eileen Rodgers (1930–2003), American singer and Broadway performer * Eileen Rose (born 1965), American singer/songwriter *

Eileen Ryan Eileen Ryan (; October 16, 1927 – October 9, 2022) was an American actress. The wife of actor and director Leo Penn, she was the mother of actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn, and of singer Michael Penn. Life and career Ryan was born in the Br ...

(1927–2022), American actress *

Eileen Sedgwick Eileen Sedgwick (October 17, 1898 – March 15, 1991) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Born in 1898, Sedgwick was in her first film in 1914 and appeared in more than 110 films during her 15-year career. She was the sister of ...

(1898–1991), American silent film actress *

Eileen Walsh Eileen Walsh (born 16 April 1977) is an Irish actress. Her credits include '' Miss Julie'' (1999), '' Janice Beard 45 WPM'' (1999), '' When Brendan Met Trudy'' (2000), '' The Magdalene Sisters'' (2002), '' Pure Mule'' (2005), ''Eden'' (2008), ' ...

(born 1977), Irish actress *

Eileen Way Eileen Mabel Elizabeth Way (2 September 1911 – 16 June 1994) was a British actress who appeared in film and television roles in a career dating back to the 1930s. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from the age of 16. She was ...

(1911–1994), English actress * Eileen Whitfield, Canadian journalist and playwright *

Eileen Wilson Eileen Wilson (born Eileen Eshelman; January 15, 1923 – September 9, 2018) was an American big band singer, and one of the original stars of the 1950s television show ''Your Hit Parade'' on NBC.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Televi ...

(1923–2018), American television star *

Eileen Yeow Eileen Yeow (born 4 January 1972), also known as Yiu Ying-ying, is a Hongkonger-Singaporean actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She was named as one of the Five Fresh Beauties of TVB in 1995. Career Yeow won the title of Miss Singapore Univ ...

(born 1972), Singaporean actress

Politicians

Eileen Anderson Eileen Anderson (October 18, 1928 – November 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1981 to 1985. She was the first, and as of 2024, the only woman to hold the office. A Democrat, Anderson served in v ...

(1928–2021), Hawaii politician *

Eileen Bell Eileen Bell Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 15 August 1943) is a retired Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Alliance Party politician from Dromara, Northern Ireland. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Dow ...

(born 1943), Northern Ireland politician *

Eileen Desmond Eileen Christine Desmond (; 29 December 1932 – 6 January 2005) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Health and Minister for Social Welfare from 1981 to 1982. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1965 to 1969 and 1973 ...

(1932–2005), British politician * Eileen C. Dugan (1945–1996), New York politician * Eileen Gordon (born 1946), United Kingdom politician *

Eileen Hickey (New York politician) Eileen Hickey (July 7, 1945 – March 5, 1999) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born Eileen McKenna on July 7, 1945, in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, the daughter of Peter McKenna and Ruth (Mollica) McKenna. She a ...

(1945–1999), New York politician * Eileen M. Hickey (1886–1960), Northern Irish politician * Eileen Lemass (born 1932), Irish politician * Eileen Malloy (born 1954), US ambassador *

Eileen Paisley, Baroness Paisley of St George's Eileen Emily Paisley, Baroness Paisley of St George's, Baroness Bannside (; born 2 November 1931), is a Northern Irish Unionist politician from Belfast. She is the widow of Ian Paisley, Lord Bannside. Baroness Paisley became a life peer in 2006 ...

(born 1931), Northern Irish politician * Eileen Parsons, British Virgin Islands politician

Sportspeople

* Eileen Ash (1911–2021), English cricketer *

Eileen Coparropa Eileen Mary Coparropa Alemán (born March 31, 1981, in Panama City) is a freestyle swimmer from Panama who won a silver and a bronze medal in the women's 50-metre freestyle event at the Pan American Games. Nicknamed "La Sirena de Oro" (The Golden ...

(born 1981), freestyle swimmer from Panama *

Eileen Ellison Eileen Ellison (12 December 1910 – 29 July 1967) was a British Grand Prix racer. Born in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, she was a daughter of Sidney and Theresa Ellison (formerly Vinter). She had a sister, Diana, and a brother, Tony. Backgroun ...

(1910–1967), English Grand Prix racer *

Eileen Gleeson Eileen Gleeson is an Irish association football manager who was most recently head coach of the Republic of Ireland women's team. She has also held the role of the Football Association of Ireland's (FAI) Head of Women and Girls Football, as wel ...

(born 1972), Irish football manager *

Eileen Gu Eileen Feng Gu (born September 3, 2003), also known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing ( zh, s=谷爱凌, labels=no), is a freestyle skier. Born in the United States, she has competed for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events since 20 ...

(born 2003), Chinese freestyle skier * Eileen Hiscock (1909–1958), British athlete * Eileen McNamara (born 1952), equestrian * Eileen O'Keeffe (born 1981), Irish hammer thrower *

Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Eileen Bennett Whittingstall (née Bennett; 16 July 1907 – c. 18 August 1979, full name Eileen Viviyen Bennett Fearnley-Whittingstall) was a tennis player from the United Kingdom who won six Grand Slam doubles titles from 1927 to 1931. Care ...

(1907–1979), UK tennis player

Writers

* Eileen Albrizio (born 1960), American writer *

Eileen Chang Eileen Chang ( zh, t=張愛玲, s=张爱玲, first=t, w=Chang1 Ai4-ling2, p=Zhāng Àilíng；September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (梁京), was a Chinese-born Am ...

(1920–1995), Chinese writer *

Eileen Dunne Eileen Dunne (born 28 April 1958) is an Irish retired journalist, newsreader and presenter with RTÉ, Ireland's national radio and television station, where she presented the main television news programmes '' Six One News'', '' Nine O'Clock New ...

(born 1958), Irish newsreader *

Eileen Gunn Eileen Gunn (born June 23, 1945, Dorchester, Massachusetts) is an American science fiction author and editor based in Seattle, Washington, who began publishing in 1978. Her story "Coming to Terms", inspired, in part, by a friendship with Avram Da ...

(born 1945), American science fiction writer and editor * Eileen Kernaghan (born 1939), Canadian novelist * Eileen McNamara (born 1952), American columnist and professor *

Eileen Myles Eileen Myles (born December 9, 1949) is an American poet and writer who has produced more than twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, libretti, plays, and performance pieces over the last three decades. Novelist Dennis Cooper has des ...

(born 1949), American poet * Eileen Pollock (writer) (1926–2012), American television screenwriter and producer *

Eileen Power Eileen Edna Le Poer Power (9 January 18898 August 1940) was a British economic historian and medievalist. Early life and education Eileen Power was the eldest daughter of a stockbroker and was born at Altrincham, Cheshire (now part of Greate ...

(1889–1940), British economic historian and medievalist * Eileen Tabios (born 1960), Filipino-American writer and artist *

Eileen Wilks Eileen Wilks (born November 3, 1952) is an American fiction writer living in Midland, Texas. Biography Eileen Wilks moved from West Texas to the town of Norman, Oklahoma in the summer of 2012, and has previously lived in Canada and Venezuela, ...

(born 1952), American fiction writer

Other

Eileen Barker Eileen Vartan Barker (born 21 April 1938, in Edinburgh, UK) is a professor in sociology, an emeritus member of the London School of Economics (LSE), and a consultant to that institution's Centre for the Study of Human Rights. She is the chairp ...

(born 1938), British sociologist *

Eileen Caddy Eileen Caddy Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (26 August 1917 – 13 December 2006) was a British spiritual teacher and New Age writer, best known as one of the founders of the Findhorn Foundation community at the Fin ...

(1917–2006), founder of the Findhorn Foundation community *

Eileen Collins Eileen Marie Collins (born 19 November 1956) is an American retired NASA astronaut and Air Force colonel. A flight instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle and the first to command a Space Shuttle missio ...

(born 1956), American astronaut *

Eileen de Coppet, Princess of Albania Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín, an Irish form of the Norman French name Aveline, which is derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic ''Avi'', possibly meaning ''desire'' in combination with the diminut ...

(1922–1985) *

Eileen Rockefeller Growald Eileen Rockefeller (born February 26, 1952) is an American philanthropist. She is the youngest daughter of David Rockefeller and Margaret "Peggy" McGrath. Eileen is a member of the fourth generation of the Rockefeller family widely known as "the ...

(born 1952), daughter of David Rockefeller * Eileen McKenney (1911–1972), wife of American writer Nathanael West * Eileen Nearne (1921–2010), member of UK Special Operations Executive (SOE) * Eileen Costello O'Shaughnessy (died 1947), Irish murder victim *

Eileen O'Shaughnessy Eileen Maud Blair (née O'Shaughnessy, 25 September 1905 – 29 March 1945) was a British poet and psychologist, involved in the Spanish Civil War. She was the first wife of George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair). During World War II, she worked for ...

(1905–1945), wife of British writer George Orwell *

Eileen Saxon Eileen Saxon, sometimes referred to as "The Blue Baby", was the first patient that received the operation now known as Blalock–Thomas–Taussig shunt. She had a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot, one of the primary congenital defects that le ...

(1942–1945), infant known as "The Blue Baby" *

Eileen Southern Eileen Jackson Southern (February 19, 1920 – October 13, 2002) was an American musicologist, researcher, author, and teacher. Southern's research focused on black American musical styles, musicians, and composers; she also published on early ...

(1920–2002), African-American musicologist * Eileen Tallman Sufrin (1913–1999), Canadian author and labour activist *

Eileen Vidal Eileen Vidal BEM (died October, 2003) was a kelper telephone and radio operator who maintained radio service and relayed military intelligence to the British Navy during the Falklands War, receiving the British Empire Medal for her service. Se ...

(died 2003),

kelper Falkland Islanders, also called FalklandersChater, Tony. ''The Falklands''. St. Albans: The Penna Press, 1996. p. 137. and nicknamed Kelpers, are the people of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Isla ...

telephone and radio operator

Characters

*Eileen Shallot, character in the novella '' The Dream Master'' * The Birthday Girl: Eileen *Eileen the Crow, from the 2015 video game ''

Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game follows a Hunter through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired city of Yharnam, whose inhabita ...

'' *Eileen Prince, mother of

Severus Snape Severus Snape is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. In the first five novels, he is the professor of Potions at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the sixth book, he teaches Defence ...

from the Harry Potter book series *Eileen, from the cartoon ''

Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...

'' *

Eileen Galvin The survival horror video games series ''Silent Hill'' features a large cast of characters. The games' player characters are " everymen", in contrast to action-oriented survival horror video game series featuring combat-trained player characte ...

, from the horror video game ''Silent Hill 4'' *

Eileen Grimshaw Eileen Grimshaw (also Phelan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Played by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often incl ...

from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' *Eileen, a fairy in the charmed ridge level from '' Spyro: Year of the Dragon'' * Eileen, a character from Tyler Perry's 2013 film '' A Madea Christmas'' * Eileen (''Virtua Fighter''), a character in the game ''Virtua Fighter 5'' *Eileen, a character from ''

Craig of the Creek ''Craig of the Creek'' is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the TV on December 1, 2017. The series premiered online on February 19, 201 ...

Media

* ''Eileen'' (film), a 2023 psychological thriller * ''Eileen'' (novel), a 2015 novel

References

{{Given name English feminine given names English-language feminine given names Feminine given names