What do you think of the name "Kevin"?

It’s my dad’s name! It’s too hard to separate from him, for me. There are some internet memes about the name I guess, because of some stories that someone told on maybe reddit or 4chan about a stupid guy he knew named Kevin. That puts a damper on the name. Otherwise I think it’s nice.

It’s a nice enough name. I don’t have any bad associations with the name.

What exactly did they discuss anyway?

Well, mostly neutral, nice enough, very Irish. The I met a young Kevin, born in Bogota, whose parents wanted a good Boston name for their son because they were moving there. He thought it was cute, and has enjoyed telling the story.

It sounds like it could be the name a fictional, mysterious place, like Mordor.

I’ve had an interesting observation about that name.

As you may know, many Asians who emigrate to the USA (or who simply come here to work among the rest of us who have already been here) tend to “Americanize” their names – especially their first names – in order to fit in better. (This is not unique to Asians, of course. Europeans have been doing this for centuries, too. The primary difference seems to be that many European names are already the basis for the American / English-sounding name, so it’s not such a big trick. A lot of Asian names, though, are nothing like English-sounding, so the new name may not resemble the old one at all.)

For some reason, over 50% of the Japanese men that I’ve met in the USA, living and working here more or less permanently (admittedly, still a small sample size) have Americanized their names to “Kevin”. I don’t have any explanation, and it may be something as simple as the fact that we had several “Kevin” actors who achieved worldwide popularity at the same time (Costner, Kline and Spacey, to name three) that also influenced the choice.

^ You forgot “Bacon.”

Also, “Kevin” isn’t as cool as “Kelvin.”

So to speak.

It’s had a fairly long tradition of nerdiness over here…

Kevin Turvey (Rik Mayall character RIP)
Kevin the Gerbil (Sidekick of glove puppet Roland Rat)
Kevin the teenager (Harry Enfield character)

The two “Kevins” I have known in my life were both jerks. One was a 4 year old Kevin, that was an out of control little beast whose parents just stood by and watched the brats evil unfold without intervention. haha
The 2nd Kevin was a total stoner with the IQ of a mushroom. Not impressed with Kevins. lol

It’s true for me and I think it must be pretty normal for others to like or dislike a particular name which has a happy or bad association with that name something in the past: a person, movie title, etc. And if others are like me, no amount of rational debate will usually change my mind. Logic has no bearing. It’s just human nature to associate things in the present with things in the past, good or bad, either consciously or subconsciously.

Regarding the name Kevin, I’ve never particularly cared for it, though I don’t out-and-out hate it like the name Adolph, for example. Kevin is the first name of several actors I don’t much enjoy watching, part of the title of a movie I found creepy, and perhaps most notably, a guy I once worked with whom I found rather creepy himself.

I have a very strong opinion on the name Kevin:

Kevin can wait- I like King of Queens way better!

It’s a name, nothing more, nothing less. It isn’t as bad as Dexter or Theodore. Kevin is somewhat dated, but as much as Ralph or Mortimer.

Don’t your friends have more substantial things to argue about?

My best friend back in my church-y days is named Kevin.

You think it’s dated, @elbanditoroso? I’d say so! I can trace the name back over a thousand years!

My copy of O’Corrain and Maguire’s Irish Names has momentarily vanished (I think I was reading it in the other room; it’s not where I normally keep it at the moment) but offhand I think the early Medieval version is spelled “Caomhionn”, and it translates to “beautiful”.

Onomastically, the name is interesting because the vast majority of early Irish names are very literal – Red, black, white, fair, dark, big, small, girl, man, etc. A name meaning “beautiful” is interesting in its vagueness.

I think Kevin’s a reasonable name. I don’t particularly like or dislike it. The only association that comes to my mind is Kevin bacon. And I guess it seems like a youthful name to me, though I realize that’s just a vague strange connotation.

@Seek I think “Caomhionn” sounds quite cool, and more elder.

It’s literally pronounced “Kevin”, maybe a bit more like “cavun”. The “mh” is a v.

Eh. I don’t really like it.

@SecondHandStoke Kelvin is absolute cool…

@JeSuisRickSpringfield What silly thing for your friends to argue about! Kevin is a perfectly fine Irish name that has no negatives. It’s not like Haimish!

And in 1963 my mom was leaning towards naming my brother Hillary. That would have been a ghastly burden to carry no matter what happened last week.

Kevin Rudd – very intelligent, dweeby looking guy (who is apparently a major workaholic and a tyrant). People love his folksy ways.

We have to talk about Kevin, Kevin. Need I say more about this dude?

Kevin Bacon. Very cool.

Kevin Costner. Used to be so hot.

Kevin – all shapes, sizes and personalities. My first thought – he’s a bit dweeby.

It’s better than Keith which I was originally going to be named until my mam won the right based on, well…9 months carrying & the pain of labour, nice one mumsy.

Just do not like the name kevin.
To me it isn’t a manly name and
I don’t see a kevin as being a
successful anything. Just kinda blah.
Sounds like a man that couldn’t stand
up for himself…..

Here is some information on the early Christian Ireland form of the name – the earliest date possible to find, really. This is Oghamic Irish – which went out of fashion more than a hundred years before the Vikings first showed up on the island.

The reference comes from the Annals of Ireland, which is a collection of what amounts to all the boring “begat” pages in the Bible, only it’s a record of historical persons which was compiled from clerical documents and historical memory in the early 1600s.

Caemgin – pronounced “KEEV-een” is a gentleman referenced here from the early 600s CE, and he held a religious office.

@Mimishu1995 One of them thinks it’s a name for losers. The other really likes it. I wouldn’t say they had a lot to offer in the way of reasons. Just a lot of opinions.

@elbanditoroso They’re both pregnant. Names are pretty big on their minds right now.

I’ve only known 2 Kevins personally. Both of them were really smart and very nice. Oh, and rather attractive. The first Kevin I had a crush on when I was in 2nd grade. My best friend in high school dated the other Kevin.

I have some good friends and coworkers named Kevin so I think of it in a positive way. All three that I can think of off the bat are in their 50’s. I think the name has a pleasant sound.

For me, when I was pregnant and thinking of names for my daughter, I tried to avoid trendy names which I know are so popular but I went for something classic, which also is my middle name. It was a hard choice so I understand the pondering and possibilities the new parents are going through.

As a name, I like it.

I’ve known two Kevins. One in high school who seemed like a decent guy. Two years ago he went to jail for soliciting sex from a minor. Evidently, he never left high school girls behind when he graduated/

The other Kevin was a college friend. Quiet, intelligent, loved his family. Unfortunately, he died a couple of years ago. His obituary didn’t say of what, but a couple of us suspect suicide. He had a lot of pain from arthritis, which makes me wonder if he couldn’t take the pain any more. That’s purely speculation.