Kevin (/ˈkɛvɪn/; Irish: Caoimhín [kiːvʲiːnʲ], Middle Irish: Caoimhghín [kəiṽʲʝiːnʲ], Old Irish: Cóemgein [koiṽʲɣʲinʲ], Scottish Gaelic: Caomhainn, Latin: Coemgenus) is a male first name of Gaelic origin. Among the earliest famous bearers of the name were Saints Kevin of Glendalough and Caomhán of Inisheer. Caoimhghín derives from the Irish caomh (Old Irish cóem) "kind, honest, handsome" and -gin (Old Irish gein) "birth". Kevin influenced the similarly Irish-derived Kelvin, as well as the Latin Calvin. "Kevin" is one of the top 100 male baby names in Chile, France, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States. 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. In France, the name was very popular during the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the lower class. There is wide variation both on the pronunciation and accentation. A more Franco-Celtic pronunciation is often written as Kévin, while a consciously Anglo-American pronunciation is written without the accent. For example, French horseman Kevin Staut's and French runner Kévin Hautcœur's official websites differ, though the French media may pronounce both names similarly.
The female version of Caoimhín (Kevin) is Caoimhe (anglicised as Keeva or Kweeva).
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