Boy name · Irish Gaelic
Kevin
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: gentle birthKevin is a boy's name that comes from Irish Gaelic and means "gentle birth". It is used in English, Irish and French.
- Meaning
- Gentle birth
- Origin
- Irish Gaelic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #221 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kevin
As a boy's name, Kevin comes from Irish Gaelic and means "gentle birth". It is used in English, Irish and French.
In Irish, say KEV-in. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Kevin on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Kevin on 10 lists.
“Feels like a coworker who just wants his lunch”
From Boy cat names, human names for boy cats
“A human name that makes everyone at the park laugh”
From Boy dog names, human names for boy dogs
“A gloriously ordinary name for a magical flying animal”
From Reindeer names, funny reindeer names
“The plainest name for the most epic pet”
From Funny hunter names for WoW, funny WoW pet names
“Somehow funnier than any pun on this page”
From Funny names at Starbucks, silly names to say out loud
“A very ordinary name that makes any turkey funnier”
From Funny names for turkeys, funny turkey names
“A very ordinary name for a very ordinary worm”
From Worm names, funny worm names
“English spelling of Caoimhín, gentle birth. Say KEV-in.”
From Irish boy names, irish boys' names in English spelling
“Sounds like he manages a small office, and he does”
From Outrageous pet names, human names for pets
“A wonderfully ordinary name for an extraordinary jar of goo”
From Sourdough starter names, funny sourdough starter names
How popular is Kevin?
- US rank in 2025
- #221
- 1,628 babies, 953 per million boys
- Best rank
- #11 in 1963
- 30,613 babies that year
- Babies since 1912
- At least 1,184,507
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 18 per million |
| 1920s | 54 per million |
| 1930s | 154 per million |
| 1940s | 757 per million |
| 1950s | 7,865 per million |
| 1960s | 14,090 per million |
| 1970s | 12,850 per million |
| 1980s | 10,221 per million |
| 1990s | 8,482 per million |
| 2000s | 5,565 per million |
| 2010s | 2,729 per million |
| 2020s | 1,153 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #90 | #102 | #125 | #149 | #157 | #183 | #182 | #188 | #196 | #221 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Kevin
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- CaoimhínGentle birth (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Names spelled like Kevin
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- KelvinFrom the River Kelvin (Scottish place name, boy)
- KeirThicket, marsh (Scots, boy)
- KeiBlessing; wisdom (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- KenHealthy, strong; sword (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- KetilKettle or cauldron (Old Norse, boy)
- KeyvanSaturn (Persian, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ClementinaMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- ClemenceMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- ClementMerciful, gentle (Latin, boy)
- ClementeMerciful, gentle (Latin, boy)
- ClementineMerciful, gentle (Latin, girl)
- YuJade or rain in Chinese; gentle in Japanese (Chinese and Japanese, unisex)
- AbdullatifServant of the Gentle (Arabic, boy)
- AdelindeNoble and gentle (Germanic, girl)
- CaoimheGentle, beautiful (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- CaomhánLittle gentle one (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Middle names for Kevin
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Irish Gaelic
- OscarPossibly deer friend (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- FinnFair, white (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- FergusMan of vigor (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- RonanLittle seal (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- RoryRed king (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AidanLittle fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AidenLittle fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AodhFire, flame (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AydenVariant of Aidan, little fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- BarryFair-haired (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Kevin: common questions
What does the name Kevin mean?
Kevin comes from Irish Gaelic and means "gentle birth".
Is Kevin a boy or girl name?
Kevin is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Kevin come from?
Kevin comes from Irish Gaelic and means "gentle birth". Today it is used in English, Irish and French.
How popular is the name Kevin?
Kevin ranked #221 in the US in 2025, with 1,628 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Kevin?
Forms of Kevin with the same meaning and origin include Caoimhín (Irish).
What middle names go with Kevin?
Middle names that flow well with Kevin include Ambrose, Cooper, Florian, Jonah and Josiah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.