Boy nameCurrently #196 in the USFalling
Kevin
KEV-in//ˈkɛvɪn//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19635 lettersStarts with K
Meaning & origin
Handsome, beloved birth
Kevin comes from the Irish Caoimhín, meaning 'handsome' or 'beloved birth', and honors a 6th-century Irish saint who founded the monastic site of Glendalough. A hugely popular name across the English-speaking world in the mid-to-late 20th century, it remains a familiar, dependable classic.
Kevin's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Kevin |
|---|---|
| 1912 | 9 |
| 1913 | 9 |
| 1914 | 12 |
| 1915 | 15 |
| 1916 | 18 |
| 1917 | 19 |
| 1918 | 21 |
| 1919 | 14 |
| 1920 | 24 |
| 1921 | 84 |
| 1922 | 71 |
| 1923 | 53 |
| 1924 | 50 |
| 1925 | 61 |
| 1926 | 46 |
| 1927 | 67 |
| 1928 | 68 |
| 1929 | 75 |
| 1930 | 84 |
| 1931 | 111 |
| 1932 | 121 |
| 1933 | 132 |
| 1934 | 151 |
| 1935 | 175 |
| 1936 | 153 |
| 1937 | 178 |
| 1938 | 252 |
| 1939 | 278 |
| 1940 | 298 |
| 1941 | 424 |
| 1942 | 529 |
| 1943 | 644 |
| 1944 | 601 |
| 1945 | 703 |
| 1946 | 1,051 |
| 1947 | 1,563 |
| 1948 | 2,255 |
| 1949 | 3,323 |
| 1950 | 4,789 |
| 1951 | 6,395 |
| 1952 | 7,961 |
| 1953 | 10,073 |
| 1954 | 15,402 |
| 1955 | 17,224 |
| 1956 | 21,830 |
| 1957 | 24,376 |
| 1958 | 24,754 |
| 1959 | 26,893 |
| 1960 | 28,481 |
| 1961 | 29,027 |
| 1962 | 28,422 |
| 1963 | 30,732 |
| 1964 | 29,469 |
| 1965 | 28,300 |
| 1966 | 25,717 |
| 1967 | 24,720 |
| 1968 | 23,987 |
| 1969 | 23,683 |
| 1970 | 27,099 |
| 1971 | 24,984 |
| 1972 | 22,475 |
| 1973 | 20,905 |
| 1974 | 19,591 |
| 1975 | 18,171 |
| 1976 | 18,589 |
| 1977 | 22,610 |
| 1978 | 20,201 |
| 1979 | 18,854 |
| 1980 | 18,093 |
| 1981 | 17,567 |
| 1982 | 17,583 |
| 1983 | 17,522 |
| 1984 | 17,986 |
| 1985 | 18,960 |
| 1986 | 20,081 |
| 1987 | 20,563 |
| 1988 | 20,286 |
| 1989 | 21,308 |
| 1990 | 20,483 |
| 1991 | 20,342 |
| 1992 | 19,705 |
| 1993 | 19,135 |
| 1994 | 17,372 |
| 1995 | 15,917 |
| 1996 | 14,624 |
| 1997 | 13,327 |
| 1998 | 12,525 |
| 1999 | 12,292 |
| 2000 | 12,704 |
| 2001 | 12,631 |
| 2002 | 12,077 |
| 2003 | 11,762 |
| 2004 | 11,266 |
| 2005 | 10,948 |
| 2006 | 10,806 |
| 2007 | 10,560 |
| 2008 | 9,809 |
| 2009 | 8,801 |
| 2010 | 7,335 |
| 2011 | 6,583 |
| 2012 | 6,239 |
| 2013 | 5,955 |
| 2014 | 5,915 |
| 2015 | 5,198 |
| 2016 | 4,560 |
| 2017 | 3,842 |
| 2018 | 3,143 |
| 2019 | 2,622 |
| 2020 | 2,392 |
| 2021 | 2,109 |
| 2022 | 2,077 |
| 2023 | 1,919 |
| 2024 | 1,827 |
Kevin through the decades
- Kevin peaked in 1963, when 30,732 babies were named Kevin in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Kevin has fallen 64% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Kevin currently ranks #196 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Kev
Variants & spellings
Caoimhín