Kevin

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For other uses, see Kevin (disambiguation).
Kevin
Gender Male
Origin
Word/Name Gaelic
Meaning Gentle birth
Other names
Related names Kev
Look up Kevin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Kevin (/ˈkɛv.ɪn/; Irish: Caoimhín /kiː.vʲiːnʲ/, Middle Irish: Caoimhghín /kəiṽʲ.ʝiːnʲ/, Old Irish: Cóemgein /koiṽʲ.ɣʲinʲ/, Scottish Gaelic: Caomhainn, Latin: Coemgenus) is a male first name of Gaelic origin. Among the earliest famous bearers of the name was Saint Kevin, although Kevin is not a biblical name. Caoimhghín derives from the Irish caomh (Old Irish cóem) "kind, honest, handsome" and -gin (Old Irish gein) "birth". Kevin influenced the similarly Gaelic-derived Kelvin, as well as the Latin Calvin.[1] "Kevin" is one of the top 100 male baby names in Canada, Chile, France, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United States.[2] It can also be spelled Kevyn, Keven, or Kevan.

In the United Kingdom, its popularity peaked during the 1950s and 1960s, when it was frequently among the 20 most popular male first names, but by the 1990s it had fallen out of the top 100.[3] In France, where the name is increasingly popular, there is wide variation both on the prounciation and accentation. A more Franco-Celtic pronunciation is often written as Kévin, while a consciously Anglo-American pronunciation is written without the accent.[4] For example French horseman Kevin Staut and French runner Kévin Hautcoeur official websites differ, though the French media may pronounce both names similarly.

The female version of Caoimhín (Kevin) is Caoimhe (anglicised as Kiva or Keva).

People

See also

References

  1. ↑ A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press, 2007.
  2. ↑ Behind the Name: Search Results
  3. ↑ http://www.babynames.co.uk/meaning_origin_name_Kevin.htm
  4. ↑ Est-ce mieux Kevin ou Kévin et pourquoi ? "Super commun comme now dans mon pays , Kevin c’est internationale , Kévin c’est francais et la prononciation est different: Kévin se prononcent kai–vain en francais Tandis que kevin se prononcent Kai–Vinne ou k-Vine "
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