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Kelvin

Quick answerKelvin derives from the Scottish place name Kelvin, which comes from the Gaelic "caol bhinn" meaning "narrow stream" or "white stream." The name gained widespread use after William Thomson, the renowned 19th-century Scottish physicist and engineer, was created Baron Kelvin of Largs, making it a surname that became…

English · Boy · 2 syllables

K
Top 5,000

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderBoy
US Rank#1,036
TrendStable
Peak year1961
Syllables2
OriginEnglish
LanguageEnglish
CultureEnglish
Letters6
Numerology1 Chaldean 22
Global rank#153

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Kelvin

Kelvin derives from the Scottish place name Kelvin, which comes from the Gaelic "caol bhinn" meaning "narrow stream" or "white stream." The name gained widespread use after William Thomson, the renowned 19th-century Scottish physicist and engineer, was created Baron Kelvin of Largs, making it a surname that became adopted as a given name in English-speaking cultures.

Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

Kelvin derives from the Scottish place name Kelvin, which comes from the Gaelic "caol bhinn" meaning "narrow stream" or "white stream." The name gained widespread use after William Thomson, the renowned 19th-century Scottish physicist and engineer, was created Baron Kelvin of Largs, making it a surname that became adopted as a given name in English-speaking cultures.

Kelvin currently ranks #1,036 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1961.

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"Kelvyn is a variant spelling of Kelvin, derived from the Scottish place name Kelvin (from Old English "ceol" meaning ship…"

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"The name 'Kalvyn' is a modern variant of 'Calvin', derived from the Latin *Calvinus* meaning "little bald one" or "bald,"…"

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"Kelvine is a variant of Kelvin, derived from the Scottish place name Kelvin (from Old English "Ceolwulf's wine," meaning "friend…"

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"Kalpan derives from Sanskrit roots, with "kalp" meaning to arrange, compose, or be fit/capable, combined with the suffix "-an," resulting…"

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"Kalpona is a Bengali name derived from Sanskrit roots, with "kalp" meaning "to be fit" or "to suppose" and the…"

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"Kulvinder is a Punjabi name combining "Kul" (lineage/family) and "Vinder" (conqueror), meaning "conqueror of the lineage" or "family victor" with…"

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"Kelvynn is a modern variant spelling of Kelvin, derived from the Scottish place name Kelvin (from Old English "Cēolwine" meaning…"

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"Kelvina is a feminine form of the Scottish name Kelvin, derived from the River Kelvin in Glasgow, with the suffix…"

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