[Facts] Re: The use of Evelyn before Pierrepont
in reply to a message by SugarPlumFairy
I think you mean "some surnames were also acceptable for women"? The Index also had a woman named Essex (maybe the same one you are thinking of), and of course there's lady Douglas Sheffeild. You are right, this woman named Evelyn might also have been named after the surname! It was a unisex name trend although it did end up getting much more popular only for boys, at least in England.