# Kevin (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kevin/  
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 | Irish |
| Meaning | “dear birth/person” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛvɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Kev, Kevvy, Kevy |
| Variant spellings | Kevyn, Kevan |
| US babies named this | 1,189,844 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,184,507 / 5,337 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 8,084, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Name of a seventh-century Irish saint, from Irish Caoimhghin or Caoimhín, from Old Irish Cóemgen (literally “dear birth/person”). It first became popular outside Ireland in the mid-twentieth century.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 27 | 5,167 |
| 2007 | 23 | 6,001 |
| 2008 | 11 | 10,449 |
| 2009 | 21 | 6,434 |
| 2010 | 7 | 14,265 |
| 2011 | 15 | 7,999 |
| 2012 | 7 | 14,271 |
| 2013 | 10 | 10,643 |
| 2014 | 14 | 8,289 |
| 2015 | 14 | 8,224 |
| 2016 | 6 | 15,317 |
| 2017 | 9 | 11,166 |
| 2020 | 8 | 11,629 |
| 2023 | 5 | 16,418 |
| 2024 | 5 | 16,509 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6,568 | 67 |
| 2012 | 6,232 | 69 |
| 2013 | 5,946 | 72 |
| 2014 | 5,902 | 70 |
| 2015 | 5,184 | 79 |
| 2016 | 4,557 | 90 |
| 2017 | 3,834 | 102 |
| 2018 | 3,143 | 125 |
| 2019 | 2,622 | 149 |
| 2020 | 2,385 | 157 |
| 2021 | 2,111 | 183 |
| 2022 | 2,077 | 182 |
| 2023 | 1,920 | 188 |
| 2024 | 1,825 | 196 |
| 2025 | 1,628 | 221 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 271 | 196 |
| 2012 | 330 | 178 |
| 2013 | 315 | 177 |
| 2014 | 309 | 180 |
| 2015 | 336 | 175 |
| 2016 | 352 | 166 |
| 2017 | 400 | 145 |
| 2018 | 347 | 162 |
| 2019 | 322 | 164 |
| 2020 | 343 | 155 |
| 2021 | 285 | 192 |
| 2022 | 253 | 203 |
| 2023 | 234 | 210 |
| 2024 | 177 | 264 |
| 2025 | 157 | 292 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: كِيفِن
- Catalan: Kevin
- Chinese: 凱文 /凯文
- Dutch: Kevin
- French: Kevin, Kévin
- Georgian: კევინ
- German: Kevin
- Greek: Κέβιν, Κεβίνος
- Hebrew: קווין
- Hindi: कैविन
- Irish: Caoimhín
- Japanese: ケヴィン, ケビン
- Korean: 케빈
- Latin: Coemgenus
- Portuguese: Kevin
- Russian: Ке́вин
- Spanish: Kevin
- Ukrainian: Ке́він
- Vietnamese: Kevin, Ke-vin

## People named Kevin

- Kevin Costner, American actor
- Kevin Rudd, 26th Prime Minister of Australia
- Kevin De Bruyne, Belgian association football player (born 1991)
- Kevin Spacey, American actor
- Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager (1951–2026)
- Kevin Bacon, American actor (born 1958)
- Kevin Kline, American actor (born 1947)
- Kevin Hart, American comedian and actor (born 1979)
- Kevin Mitnick, American hacker (1963–2023)
- Kevin Michael Richardson, American actor (born 1964)
- Kevin Garnett, American basketball player (born 1976)
- Kevin Feige, American producer and studio executive (born 1973)

## 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.