Kevin Name Meaning

Published on October 19, 2021

Fact checked by Aaron Johnson

Baby lying on bed — Lawren / Getty Images

What Does Kevin Mean?

The name Kevin means "handsome." It has Irish roots and is derived from the name Caoimhín, which originated from the elements coém (meaning “handsome”) and gein (meaning “birth"). Saint Kevin was the first well-known Kevin. Since then, many children have been given the name.

Kevin is a classic, versatile name that never seems to go completely out of style.

Origin: Irish
Gender: Kevin is most often used as a boy's name.
Pronunciation: KEH-v-uh-n

Although many baby names are separated by gender, Verywell Family believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.

How Popular is the Name Kevin?

The name Kevin arrived on the baby boy name charts in 1921, at in the 720 spot. Since then, Kevin has remained in the top 1000 names for baby boys in the U.S. As a girl name, Kevin just made it into the top 1000s and managed to stay there between 1963 and 1983.

Though a consistently chosen boys' name, Kevin has never gained top 10 status. It was so close in 1963 when it reached peak popularity in the number 11 spot. Between the 1960s and 2016, the name Kevin has made a slow but steady decline in popularity while still remaining in the top 100.

Name Variations

There are quite a few variations of the name Kevin, including:

Kevan
Keven
Kevon
Kevion
Kevis
Kevyn

Similar Names

Here are some similar-sounding names to Kevin:

Aaron
Devin
Caden
Evan
Gavin
Jaden
Kelvin
Michael
Landon
Nevin
Owen
Scott
Steven

Other Irish names to consider:

Aiden
Brendan
Callum
Cillian
Conner
Declan
Eamon
Eoin
Fionn
Keiran
Niall
Ronan
Rory
Shane

Other names that start with K:

Kaden
Kale
Kane
Kaleb
Keanu
Keaton
Keith
Kenneth
Kian
Kingsley
Kingston
Knox
Kobe
Korbin

Suggested Sibling Names

Potential sibling names for baby Kevin could be:

Amy
Ashely
Bea
Benjamin
Cali
Cora
Eliza
Elijah
Frankie
Harry
Jonah
Lucas
Mila
Kate
Maggie
Shay
Thomas
Veronica

Famous People Named Kevin

Kevin Anderson, a tennis player from South Africa
Kevin Bacon, an American actor best known for "Footloose"
Kevin Costner, American actor best know for "Dances With Wolves"
Kevin Curren, a tennis player from South Africa
Kevin Durant, an American basketball player
Kevin Hart, an American comedian and actor
Kevin Harvick, an American stock car racing driver
Kevin Keegan, an English soccer player and coach
Kevin Kline, an American singer and actor best known for "A Fish Called Wanda"
Kevin Owens, a Canadian WWE wrestler
Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister of Australia

Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options:

2 Sources

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hanks P, Hardcastle K, Hodges F. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press; 2016.
Social Security Administration. Get Ready for Baby: Popularity of a Name.

By Shannon Day
Shannon Day is a freelance writer specializing in parenting, lifestyle, and women's humor. She has been published in several online parenting and lifestyle sites as well as in print. Shannon is also the co-author of Martinis & Motherhood: Tales of Wonder, Woe & WTF?!

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