Kelvin is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Kelvin means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Kelvin across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Kelvin has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Kelvin is a boy name of Scottish origin meaning “narrow river”. From a Scottish river name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 51,855 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,124 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 284 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 37 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 361 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,262 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Kelvin per year, United States (1912 to 2025). United States peaked in 1961 (1,380/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (65/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1998 (19/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2005 (17/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (6/yr).
Kelvin has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1961, when it ranked #441 nationally (given to 1,380 babies that year).
Calvin · Kalvin · Calven · Kelven · Clavin · Kelvon · Calvina · Colvin
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