Kevin (English)
Where does "Kevin" come from?
The name Kevin traces its roots back to the Old Irish Cóemgen, which combines terms meaning 'dear' and 'birth' to translate roughly as 'beloved person.' This name evolved from deep Proto-Indo-European foundations, with 'dear' sharing a linguistic ancestor with the word 'home' and 'birth' linking to the ancient root for production and lineage. Though it originated from a seventh-century Irish saint, it only gained widespread international popularity by the mid-twentieth century.
Full etymology tree
- Kevin (English), 'A male given name from Irish.'
- borrowed Caoimhín (Irish), 'a male given name from Old Irish, equivalent to English Kevin'
- inherited Caoimhghin (Irish), 'archaic spelling of Caoimhín'
- inherited Cóemgen (Old Irish), 'a male given name'
- compound cóem (Old Irish), 'dear, gentle, beloved'
- inherited *koimos (Proto-Celtic), 'dear, nice'
- inherited *ḱóymos (Proto-Indo-European), 'homely, kin'
- inherited *koimos (Proto-Celtic), 'dear, nice'
- compound gein (Old Irish), 'verbal noun of gainithir'
- inherited *genan (Proto-Celtic)
- inherited *ǵenh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to produce; to beget; to give birth'
- inherited *genan (Proto-Celtic)
- compound cóem (Old Irish), 'dear, gentle, beloved'
- inherited Cóemgen (Old Irish), 'a male given name'
- inherited Caoimhghin (Irish), 'archaic spelling of Caoimhín'
- borrowed Caoimhín (Irish), 'a male given name from Old Irish, equivalent to English Kevin'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris