Yves (given name)

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, 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. 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). 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.