# Kelvin (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kelvin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “narrow”, “wooded”, “river” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛlvɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 51,855 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 51,551 / 304 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,136, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Of Celtic/Scottish Gaelic origin, possibly from caol (“narrow”) or coille (“wooded”) + abhainn (“river”). The surname is derived from the river. The surname was also possibly influenced by Calvert (Middle English calfhirde).

## What it means

Kelvin is grouped under river.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 5 | 10,960 |
| 1980 | 5 | 11,165 |
| 1983 | 12 | 5,620 |
| 1984 | 7 | 8,608 |
| 1985 | 9 | 7,242 |
| 1986 | 11 | 6,369 |
| 1987 | 11 | 6,534 |
| 1988 | 7 | 9,773 |
| 1989 | 12 | 6,749 |
| 1990 | 5 | 14,060 |
| 1991 | 5 | 14,228 |
| 1992 | 12 | 7,272 |
| 1993 | 6 | 12,592 |
| 1995 | 7 | 11,114 |
| 2004 | 5 | 17,462 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 465 | 547 |
| 2012 | 474 | 550 |
| 2013 | 412 | 611 |
| 2014 | 366 | 688 |
| 2015 | 399 | 652 |
| 2016 | 336 | 729 |
| 2017 | 328 | 729 |
| 2018 | 281 | 807 |
| 2019 | 317 | 754 |
| 2020 | 242 | 922 |
| 2021 | 254 | 905 |
| 2022 | 254 | 911 |
| 2023 | 232 | 967 |
| 2024 | 201 | 1,083 |
| 2025 | 214 | 1,036 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 36 | 831 |
| 2012 | 37 | 837 |
| 2013 | 33 | 882 |
| 2014 | 29 | 988 |
| 2015 | 31 | 950 |
| 2016 | 26 | 1,081 |
| 2017 | 31 | 968 |
| 2018 | 14 | 1,683 |
| 2019 | 13 | 1,745 |
| 2020 | 17 | 1,431 |
| 2021 | 12 | 1,860 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1,781 |
| 2023 | 21 | 1,272 |
| 2024 | 18 | 1,460 |
| 2025 | 17 | 1,538 |

## People named Kelvin

- Kelvin Felix, Dominican Catholic cardinal (1933–2024)
- Kelvin Mateus de Oliveira, Brazilian association football player
- Kelvin Amian, French association football player
- Kelvin Davis, British footballer (born 1976)
- Kelvin Harrison Jr., American actor
- Kelvin Pires, Cape Verdean footballer
- Kelvin Gastelum, American mixed martial artist (born 1991)
- Kelvin Hoefler, Brazilian skateboarder
- Kelvin Graham, Canoe racer
- Kelvin Wilson, English footballer (born 1985)
- Kelvin Cato, American basketball player (born 1974)
- Kelvin Burt, British racing driver

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.