Kevin: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Kevin is an Irish boy's name meaning “gentle child.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Gentle child
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Kevan
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 139 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Kevin?
Kevin is pronounced KEV-in. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Kevan.
What does Kevin mean?
Means “gentle child” or “well born.” St. Kevin founded a great monastery at Glendalough in County Wicklow in the seventh century. Noted as a man who wasn’t always comfortable in the company of other human beings, he was very much at home with the animals. One story tells that while Kevin was praying a blackbird came and nested in his hand. He remained at prayer, motionless, until the eggs had hatched. In another story, when he dropped his psalter in a lake an otter came by and retrieved it. The name is still very popular in Ireland.
How popular is Kevin in Ireland?
In 2025, 39 baby boys in Ireland were named Kevin, which made it No. 139 that year. That's down from No. 87 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1987, when 583 baby boys were named Kevin, No. 11 that year. The most babies got the name in 1986: 639. The records go back to 1964, when 452 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 39 | No. 139 |
| 2024 | 29 | No. 174 |
| 2023 | 41 | No. 138 |
| 2022 | 48 | No. 127 |
| 2021 | 48 | No. 131 |
| 2020 | 53 | No. 116 |
| 2019 | 67 | No. 100 |
| 2018 | 69 | No. 96 |
| 2017 | 78 | No. 92 |
| 2016 | 87 | No. 81 |
| 2015 | 86 | No. 87 |
| 2014 | 98 | No. 82 |
| 2013 | 108 | No. 73 |
| 2012 | 112 | No. 70 |
| 2011 | 143 | No. 58 |
| 2010 | 120 | No. 67 |
| 2009 | 175 | No. 51 |
| 2008 | 152 | No. 59 |
| 2007 | 179 | No. 44 |
| 2006 | 159 | No. 48 |
| 2005 | 152 | No. 47 |
| 2004 | 166 | No. 44 |
| 2003 | 180 | No. 38 |
| 2002 | 214 | No. 32 |
| 2001 | 220 | No. 36 |
| 2000 | 264 | No. 25 |
| 1999 | 211 | No. 33 |
| 1998 | 233 | No. 25 |
| 1997 | 357 | No. 21 |
| 1996 | 362 | No. 20 |
| 1995 | 430 | No. 15 |
| 1994 | 454 | No. 12 |
| 1993 | 491 | No. 11 |
| 1992 | 479 | No. 14 |
| 1991 | 535 | No. 12 |
| 1990 | 571 | No. 12 |
| 1989 | 498 | No. 13 |
| 1988 | 555 | No. 12 |
| 1987 | 583 | No. 11 |
| 1986 | 639 | No. 12 |
| 1985 | 577 | No. 13 |
| 1984 | 630 | No. 12 |
| 1983 | 637 | No. 13 |
| 1982 | 596 | No. 13 |
| 1981 | 590 | No. 13 |
| 1980 | 568 | No. 13 |
| 1979 | 529 | No. 13 |
| 1978 | 496 | No. 14 |
| 1977 | 522 | No. 14 |
| 1976 | 474 | No. 16 |
| 1975 | 465 | No. 16 |
| 1974 | 523 | No. 15 |
| 1973 | 471 | No. 17 |
| 1972 | 462 | No. 19 |
| 1971 | 519 | No. 18 |
| 1970 | 449 | No. 18 |
| 1969 | 473 | No. 17 |
| 1968 | 476 | No. 17 |
| 1967 | 379 | No. 18 |
| 1966 | 449 | No. 15 |
| 1965 | 469 | No. 15 |
| 1964 | 452 | No. 15 |
Kevin in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Kevin, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- EEadhadh, aspen
- FFearn, alder
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Kevin
Questions about Kevin
- How do you pronounce Kevin?
- Kevin is pronounced KEV-in. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Kevin mean?
- Kevin means “gentle child.”
- Is Kevin a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Kevin is a boy's name.
- How popular is Kevin in Ireland?
- In 2025, Kevin was No. 139 for boys in Ireland, with 39 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1987, at No. 11.