Kevin
Kevin (/ˈkɛvɪn/) is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name Caoimhín ([kiːvʲiːnʲ], Middle Irish: Caoimhghín [kəiṽʲʝiːnʲ], Old Irish: Cóemgein [koiṽʲɣʲinʲ], Latinized Coemgenus), composed of Irish caomh (Old Irish cóem) "dear; noble"[1] and -gin (Old Irish gein) "birth".[2]
Gender | masculine |
---|---|
Origin | |
Language(s) | Irish |
Word/name | Caoimhín |
Meaning | of noble birth |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Caoimhín; Kevan, Kevyn |
The variant Kevan is anglicized from Caoimheán, an Irish diminutive form.[3] The feminine version of the name is Caoimhe (anglicised as Keeva or Kweeva).
History
Saint Kevin (d. 618) founded Glendalough abbey in the Kingdom of Leinster in 6th-century Ireland. Canonized in 1903, he is one of the patron saints of the Archdiocese of Dublin. Caomhán of Inisheer, the patron saint of Inisheer, Aran Islands, is properly anglicized Cavan or Kevan, but often also referred to as "Kevin".
The name was rarely given before the 20th century but has been "widely adopted throughout the English-speaking world" since,[3] surging in popularity during the 1950s. The sudden rise in popularity may be tied to actor Kevin McCarthy, who first became famous with Death of a Salesman (1951). In the United States the name's popularity peaked at rank 11 in 1963. It has steadily decreased in popularity since then, but is still given with moderate frequency, at rank 89 as of 2016.[4] The name followed a similar trajectory in the United Kingdom, gaining popularity in the 1950s, peaking in the 1960s, gradually declining in the 1970s to 1980s, and falling out of the top 100 most popularly given names by the 1990s.[5]
Oxford's A Dictionary of First Names suggests that anglicized Kevin may have influenced the adoption of Kelvin (in origin a river name) as a modern given name, which peaked in popularity at about the same time, albeit to a much lesser extent (peaking at rank 209 as of 1961 in the US).[6]
Conversely, in non-English-speaking Europe, the name picked up popularity in the 1980s. The name had been introduced to Europe via pop culture, and was notorious for being extremely popular among lower class parents during the end of 1980s to 2000s. The name peaked markedly in the early 1990s, reaching first rank in France during 1989–1994, during 1991–1992 in Switzerland and in 1991 in Germany. The 1991 peak in German-speaking Europe is due to the Christmas comedy film Home Alone, marketed as "Kevin – Allein zu Haus" in German (named for protagonist "Kevin McCallister", played by 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin). Especially in Germany, the name became associated with low social status, an attitude popularised in German journalism based on a 2009 master thesis on primary teachers' reactions to children's given names.[7] "Kevin" or "Kevinismus" in German has become a short-hand for short-lived fads in given names based in pop culture.[8][9]
People
- Kevin Abernathy (born 1991), American editor and occasional host of shows on the Game Grumps platform
- Kevin Abley (born 1935), Australian rules footballer
- Kevin Anderson (born 1960), American actor
- Kevin Anderson (born 1986), South African tennis player
- Kevin J. Anderson (born 1962), American science fiction author
- Kevin Appier (born 1967), American baseball pitcher
- Kevin Archer (born 1958), English musician and member of Dexy's Midnight Runners
- Kevin Ayers (1944–2013), English songwriter
- Kevin Bacon (born 1958), American actor
- Kevin Beattie (1953-2018), English footballer
- Kevin-Prince Boateng (born 1987), German-born Ghanaian footballer
- Kevin Bouie (born 1971), American football player
- Kevin Boyles (born 1967), Canadian volleyball player
- Kevin Bridges (born 1986), Scottish comedian
- Kevin Burke (American football) (born 1993), American football player
- Kevin Carlberg (born 1987), American musician
- Kevin Carr (born 1958), English football goalkeeper
- Kevin Carroll (born 1969), American football player
- Kevin Carter (1960–1994), South African photographer
- Kevin Cheng (born 1969), American-born Hong Kong actor
- Kevin Clash (born 1960), American puppeteer, director and producer
- Kevin Cogan (born 1956), American racing driver
- Kevin Corrigan (born 1969), American actor
- Kevin Costner (born 1955), American actor
- Kevin Daley (politician) (born 1957), American politician
- Kevin Daley (born 1976), Panamanian basketball player
- Kevin Danaher (Caoimhín Ó Danachair, 1913–2002), Irish folklorist
- Kevin Davidson (born 1997), American football player
- Kevin De Bruyne (born 1991), Belgian footballer
- Kevin Doherty (born 1958), Canadian judoka
- Kevin Durand (born 1974), Canadian actor
- Kevin Durant (born 1988), American basketball player
- Kevin Eastman (born 1962), American comic book artist
- Kevin Faulk (born 1976), American football player
- Kevin Federline (born 1978), American dancer
- Kevin Fertig (born 1977), American professional wrestler
- Kevin Forster (born 1958), English long-distance runner
- Kevin Foster (born Kevin Bates; 1977), American murderer and leader of the "Lords of Chaos"
- Kevin Frandsen (born 1982), American professional Baseball player
- Kevin Galloway (born 1991), American-Iraqi basketball player
- Kevin Garnett (born 1976), American basketball player
- Kevin Givens (born 1997), American football player
- Kevin Gordon (born 1989), Australian Rugby player
- Kevin Greening (1962-2007), British radio broadcaster
- Kevin Gregg (born 1978), American baseball player
- Kevin Harlan (born 1960), American television and radio sports announcer
- Kevin Hart (born 1979), American actor and comedian
- Kevin Harvick (born 1975), American race car driver
- Kevin Haskins (born 1960), British drummer
- Kevin Haverdink (born 1965), American football player
- Kevin Hayes (Caoimhín Ó hAodha, born 1962), English cricketer
- Kevin Hayes (born 1984), Irish hurler
- Kevin Hayes (born 1992), American ice hockey player
- Kevin Hector (born 1944), English footballer
- Kevin Heinze (1928–2008), Australian television presenter
- Kevin James (born 1965), actor
- Kevin Johnson (born 1966), American basketball player and politician
- Kevin Jonas (born 1987), member of the Jonas Brothers
- Kevin Kampl (born 1990), Slovenian footballer
- Kevin Kauber (born 1995), Estonian footballer
- Kevin Keegan (born 1951), English footballer and coach
- Kevin Keelan (born 1941), English footballer
- Kevin Keen (born 1967), English footballer and coach
- Kevin Kilner (born 1958), American actor
- Kevin King (American football) (born 1995), American football player
- Kevin Kingston (born 1983), Australian Rugby League player
- Kevin Kline (born 1947), American actor
- Kevin Korjus (born 1993), Estonian racing driver
- Kevin Kurányi (born 1982), Brazil-born German footballer
- Kevin Kuske (born 1979), German bobsledder
- Kevin Kyle (born 1981), Scottish footballer
- Kevin James LaBrie (born 1963), Canadian singer
- Kevin Lilly (born 1963), American football player
- Kevin Lisch (born 1986), American basketball player
- Kevin Love (born 1988), American basketball player
- Kevin Lundberg (born 1952), member of Colorado State Senate
- Kevin Lynch (1956–1981), Irish republican, IRA hunger striker who died in 1981
- Kevin López (born 1990), Spanish athlete
- Kevin MacLeod (born 1972), American music composer
- Kevin Macmichael (1951-2002), Musician, co-founder of pop-rock group Cutting Crew
- Kevin Maggs (born 1974), Irish rugby player
- Kevin Magnussen (born 1992), Danish racing driver
- Kevin Martin (born 1983), American basketball player
- Kevin Mason (born 1972), American football player
- Kévin Mayer (born 1992), French decathlete
- Kevin McCarthy (1914–2010), American actor
- Kevin McDonald (born 1961), Canadian comedian and actor
- Kevin McHale (born 1957), American basketball player
- Kevin McKidd (born 1973), Scottish film actor
- Kevin McMahon (born 1972), American hammer thrower
- Kevin Michael Richardson (born 1964), American voice actor
- Kevin Mitchell (born 1981), Canadian water polo player
- Kevin Mitnick (born 1963), computer security consultant and convicted hacker
- Hulisani Kevin Mmbara (born 1979), South African political youth leader
- Kevin Moon (born 1998), a Canadian singer and artist
- Kevin Muscat (born 1973), Australian football manager
- Kevin Nadal (born 1978), author, professor, activist, and comedian
- Kevin Naiqama (born 1989), Australian-Fijian Rugby League player
- Kevin Nanney (born 1989), American professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player known as PPMD
- Kevin Nash (born 1959), American professional wrestler
- Kevin Nealon (born 1953), American actor
- Kevin Neufeld (born 1960), Canadian rower
- Kevin Newsome (born 1991), American football player
- Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (b. 1953), Irish politician
- Kevin O'Higgins (Caoimhghín Ó hUigín, 1892–1927), Irish politician
- Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (b. 1979), Irish fiddler
- Kevin Ollie (born 1972), American basketball player
- Kevin Parker (born 1986), Australian musician and member of Tame Impala
- Kevin Peterson (born 1994), American football player
- Kevin Pietersen (born 1980), English cricketer
- Kevin Pillar (born 1989), major league baseball player
- Kevin Pollak (born 1957), American actor
- Kevin Porter Jr. (born 2000), American basketball player
- Kevin B. Quinn, American chief executive officer
- Kevin Reynolds (born 1990), Canadian figure skater
- Kévin Reza (born 1988), French racing cyclist
- Kevin Richardson (born 1986), American college running back
- Kevin Richardson (born 1962), English former soccer player
- Kevin Richardson (born 1971), member of the Backstreet Boys
- Kevin Robertson (born 1959), Water polo player
- Kevin Rolland (born 1989), French freestyle skier
- Kevin D. Rome (born c. 1966), University administrator
- Kevin Rose (born 1977), founder of Digg
- Kevin Rowland (born 1953), musician and former frontman of the band Dexys Midnight Runners
- Kevin Rudd (born 1957), 26th Prime Minister of Australia, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Kevin Rudolf (born 1983), American singer
- Kevin Sheedy (born 1947), Australian footballer and Member of the Order of Australia
- Kevin Sheedy (born 1959), Irish footballer
- Kevin Shields (born 1963), musician
- Kevin Simm (born 1980), English singer, songwriter, and musician who was a member of the pop group Liberty X
- Kevin Sinfield (born 1980), English rugby league player and current captain of the Leeds Rhinos
- Kevin Sitorus (born 1994), Indonesian basketball player
- Kevin Smith (1963–2002), New Zealand actor
- Kevin Smith (born 1970), American screenwriter, producer and director
- Kevin Sorbo (born 1958), American actor
- Kevin Spacey (born 1959), American actor
- Kevin Stevens (born 1965), American hockey player
- Kevin Stewart (born 1993), English football player
- Kevin Strong (born 1996), American football player
- Kevin Tighe (born 1944), American actor
- Kevin Toliver II (born 1995), American football player
- Kevin Tumba (born 1991), Belgian-Congolese basketball player
- Kevin Ray Underwood (born 1979), convicted murderer
- Kevin Ullyett (born 1972), former professional tennis player from Zimbabwe
- Kevin Vicuna (born 1998), Venezuelan professional baseball player
- Kevin Von Erich (born 1957), retired American professional wrestler
- Kevin Warwick (born 1954), British cybernetics professor at the University of Reading
- Kevin White (1929–2012), American mayor of Boston 1968–1984
- Kevin Youkilis (born 1979), American baseball player
- Kevin John Wasserman (born 1963), American guitarist for The Offspring (better known as "Noodles")
Fictional
- Cousin Kevin, a character in the musical film Tommy
- Kevin, a character in Frank Miller's Sin City yarns
- Kevin, a character in Konami's role-playing game Suikoden IV
- Kevin Keene, the title character from the cartoon Captain N: The Game Master
- Kevin, a character from the cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy
- Kevin, a mobile crane from Thomas and Friends
- Kevin, a flightless bird from Disney-Pixar's movie Up
- Kevin, the leading minion in Minions
- Kevin McCallister, the main character from the Home Alone franchise
- Kevin Butler, a fictional character in Sony's "It Only Does Everything" PS3 marketing campaign
- Kevin the Gerbil, a British puppet seen in many productions alongside Roland Rat
- Kevin Tran is a prophet on the American dark fantasy television series Supernatural
- Kevin Fischer, a character from the movie Final Destination 3
- Kevin, one of the four penguins from the VeggieTales spinoff 3-2-1 Penguins!
- Kevin, the leader of the Jelly Spotters from SpongeBob SquarePants
- Kevin Porter, a character in the novel and Netflix series 13 Reasons Why
See also
- All pages with titles beginning with Kevin
- All pages with titles beginning with Caoimh
- Kevan
- Kevon
- Caoimhe
- List of Scottish Gaelic given names
- List of Irish-language given names
- Kavin – unrelated Tamil name
- Eugene – a name of Greek origin with a similar meaning
- Caoimhin (Dungeons & Dragons), a fictional deity from Dungeons & Dragons
- German Kevinism
References
- "cáem". Irish Language Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- "gein". Irish Language Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press (2007) s.v. "Kevin".
- Campbell, Mike. "Popularity for the name Kevin". Behind the Name. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- donnah. "Baby names in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press (2007) s.v. "Kelvin".
- "Oliver Trenkamp Ungerechte Grundschullehrer: Kevin ist kein Name, sondern eine Diagnose". Spiegel Online. 16 September 2009. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- Katrin Pribyl, "KEVINISMUS" Wie Namen die Zukunft von Kindern beeinflussen Archived 2016-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, Welt, 26 February 2008.
- Sarah Zhang, [The Strange German Disease Called "Kevinism": Can a Lame Name Mess Up Your Life?], Discoblog (discovermagazine.com), 1 February 2012. "Kevinometer: Kennen Sie das Kevinismus-Risiko Ihrer Lieblingsnamen?" (beliebte-vornamen.de) Archived 2017-05-08 at the Wayback Machine