Explore the Family Name Kevin

The meaning of Kevin

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Caoimhín ‘descendant of Caoimhín’ (the personal name Kevin), a name derived from Caémgein ‘comely birth’ although now regarded as a diminutive of Gaelic caomh ‘comely, beloved’. Compare Kavanagh.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kevin in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Kevin saw a decrease in popularity in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Kevin ranked 50,572nd most common surname, with approximately 388 individuals bearing this name. However, by 2010, its rank had dropped to 57,781 with around 352 individuals, marking a decline of 14.25% in rank and a 9.28% decline in count. The proportion of individuals named Kevin per 100,000 people also decreased from 0.14 to 0.12 during this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#50,572	#57,781	-14.25%
Count	388	352	-9.28%
Proportion per 100k	0.14	0.12	-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kevin

Regarding ethnicity associated with the surname Kevin, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals interesting changes from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of Kevins identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, increasing from 2.06% to 4.55%, while those identifying as Hispanic jumped from 2.84% to 9.66%. However, the surname saw a reduction among those who identify as White (from 79.64% to 72.73%), Black (from 12.11% to 11.36%), and those of Two or more races (from 2.06% to 1.7%). Furthermore, there was a complete drop-off in the number of Kevins identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 1.29% in 2000 to none in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	79.64%	72.73%	-8.68%
Black	12.11%	11.36%	-6.19%
Hispanic	2.84%	9.66%	240.14%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.06%	4.55%	120.87%
Two or More Races	2.06%	1.7%	-17.48%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.29%	0%	-100%