Kelvin
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEL-vin
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,613 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,034 for boys
Kelvin is a boys' name of Scottish origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,613th for boys in the UK (17 babies) and 1,034th for boys in the US (214 babies).
What does Kelvin mean?
Scottish: from the River Kelvin in Glasgow
From the River Kelvin in Glasgow, which gave its name to Lord Kelvin and hence to the kelvin unit of temperature.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kelvin a girl's or a boy's name?
Kelvin is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 17 boys in the UK and 214 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kelvin in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,613th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 17 about 1 in 18,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 17 boys in the UK were named Kelvin, making it the 1,613th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,275th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 80 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kelvin in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2012. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,537th in England and Wales.
Kelvin in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #1,613 |
| 2024 | 18 | #1,528 |
| 2023 | 24 | #1,247 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,708 |
| 2021 | 15 | #1,686 |
| 2020 | 22 | #1,275 |
| 2019 | 17 | #1,543 |
| 2018 | 17 | #1,555 |
| 2017 | 33 | #1,010 |
| 2016 | 32 | #1,010 |
| 2015 | 36 | #924 |
| 2014 | 41 | #830 |
| 2013 | 46 | #768 |
| 2012 | 47 | #769 |
| 2011 | 47 | #745 |
| 2010 | 55 | #650 |
| 2009 | 66 | #568 |
| 2008 | 73 | #527 |
| 2007 | 72 | #512 |
| 2006 | 56 | #579 |
| 2005 | 72 | #448 |
| 2004 | 66 | #458 |
| 2003 | 59 | #468 |
| 2002 | 50 | #491 |
| 2001 | 57 | #439 |
| 2000 | 56 | #432 |
| 1999 | 68 | #378 |
| 1998 | 71 | #374 |
| 1997 | 80 | #347 |
| 1996 | 70 | #363 |
How popular is Kelvin in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,034th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 214 about 1 in 8,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 214 boys in the US were named Kelvin, making it the 1,034th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 922nd. Its busiest year was 1961, with 1,370 boys. It first appears in the records in 1912.
Half of all the boys named Kelvin in the US since 1880 were born between 1965 and 1998, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kelvin in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 214 | #1,034 |
| 2024 | 201 | #1,082 |
| 2023 | 232 | #966 |
| 2022 | 254 | #908 |
| 2021 | 254 | #905 |
| 2020 | 242 | #922 |
| 2019 | 317 | #752 |
| 2018 | 281 | #805 |
| 2017 | 328 | #727 |
| 2016 | 336 | #728 |
| 2015 | 399 | #652 |
| 2014 | 366 | #688 |
| 2013 | 412 | #611 |
| 2012 | 474 | #549 |
| 2011 | 465 | #546 |
| 2010 | 497 | #520 |
| 2009 | 572 | #479 |
| 2008 | 606 | #460 |
| 2007 | 623 | #448 |
| 2006 | 632 | #434 |
| 2005 | 617 | #433 |
| 2004 | 631 | #412 |
| 2003 | 644 | #403 |
| 2002 | 659 | #396 |
| 2001 | 618 | #403 |
| 2000 | 657 | #389 |
| 1999 | 687 | #377 |
| 1998 | 698 | #367 |
| 1997 | 598 | #393 |
| 1996 | 678 | #357 |
| 1995 | 713 | #345 |
| 1994 | 749 | #330 |
| 1993 | 774 | #327 |
| 1992 | 796 | #320 |
| 1991 | 835 | #308 |
| 1990 | 870 | #288 |
| 1989 | 826 | #295 |
| 1988 | 793 | #291 |
| 1987 | 748 | #287 |
| 1986 | 715 | #291 |
| 1985 | 741 | #279 |
| 1984 | 689 | #296 |
| 1983 | 666 | #297 |
| 1982 | 726 | #283 |
| 1981 | 650 | #299 |
| 1980 | 613 | #312 |
| 1979 | 664 | #300 |
| 1978 | 752 | #264 |
| 1977 | 785 | #257 |
| 1976 | 733 | #265 |
| 1975 | 727 | #266 |
| 1974 | 766 | #254 |
| 1973 | 826 | #244 |
| 1972 | 884 | #242 |
| 1971 | 882 | #252 |
| 1970 | 912 | #253 |
| 1969 | 943 | #239 |
| 1968 | 998 | #226 |
| 1967 | 1,058 | #214 |
| 1966 | 1,079 | #212 |
| 1965 | 1,197 | #207 |
| 1964 | 1,257 | #215 |
| 1963 | 1,333 | #210 |
| 1962 | 1,326 | #210 |
| 1961 | 1,370 | #209 |
| 1960 | 1,299 | #217 |
| 1959 | 1,017 | #250 |
| 1958 | 770 | #276 |
| 1957 | 806 | #265 |
| 1956 | 757 | #264 |
| 1955 | 530 | #321 |
| 1954 | 441 | #338 |
| 1953 | 281 | #417 |
| 1952 | 260 | #434 |
| 1951 | 181 | #501 |
| 1950 | 139 | #574 |
| 1949 | 42 | #1,084 |
| 1948 | 33 | #1,255 |
| 1947 | 27 | #1,424 |
| 1946 | 21 | #1,556 |
| 1945 | 20 | #1,493 |
| 1944 | 14 | #1,889 |
| 1943 | 11 | #2,276 |
| 1942 | 21 | #1,537 |
| 1941 | 18 | #1,633 |
| 1940 | 21 | #1,471 |
| 1939 | 22 | #1,425 |
| 1938 | 16 | #1,741 |
| 1937 | 13 | #1,992 |
| 1936 | 37 | #1,051 |
| 1935 | 34 | #1,123 |
| 1934 | 23 | #1,425 |
| 1933 | 5 | #3,640 |
| 1932 | 9 | #2,638 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,003 |
| 1930 | 9 | #2,779 |
| 1929 | 9 | #2,764 |
| 1928 | 12 | #2,387 |
| 1927 | 10 | #2,702 |
| 1926 | 5 | #4,199 |
| 1925 | 10 | #2,753 |
| 1924 | 10 | #2,821 |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 5 | #4,320 |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 5 | #3,824 |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 6 | #2,268 |
Nicknames for Kelvin
Names like Kelvin
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kevin, Ryan, Keegan, Brody, Declan, Regan, Dylan, Kian, Keenan, Kenan, Keelan, Kayden
Names related to Kelvin
More Scottish names
Isla, Finley, Logan, Arabella, Cameron, Bonnie, Paisley, Carson, Maxwell, Brodie, Finlay, Blair, Lennox, Skye, Knox, Dallas
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kelvin: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kelvin, updated 20 October 2026.