Namewise

John vs Kevin

John and Kevincompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2025, John was ranked #29 and Kevin #139 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • New Zealand · Boys

    In 1999, John was ranked #40 and Kevin #94 among boys in New Zealand.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys

    In 2001, John was ranked #53 and Kevin #98 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys

    In 2024, John was ranked #67 and Kevin #164 among boys in Northern Ireland.

  • Scotland · Boys

    In 2024, John was ranked #78 and Kevin #432 among boys in Scotland.

  • Norway · Boys

    In 2025, John was ranked #161 and Kevin #186 among boys in Norway.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2025, John was ranked #174 and Kevin #292 among boys in England and Wales.

John and Kevin over time

John and Kevin appear together in 6 published lists, across 279 years of shared records. John held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Kevin in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

John reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Kevin in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

How this pair is related

The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.

  • Closest over the longest run

    Across 50 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, John and Kevin averaged 37.3 places apart, ending at #53 and #98.

  • Longest-running competitions

    John and Kevin were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #174 and #292.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — John #46 in 1996, Kevin #141 in 1996.

List by list

  • Norway · Boys71 shared years, 1953–2025

    John held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Kevin in 28.

    Highest recorded here: John #12 in 1955, Kevin #44 in 2002.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: John #161, Kevin #186.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025

    John held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Kevin in 0.

    Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1964, Kevin #11 in 1987.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: John #29, Kevin #139.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys50 shared years, 1952–2001

    John held the stronger position in 50 of those years, Kevin in 0.

    Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1952, Kevin #15 in 1956.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2001: John #53, Kevin #98.

  • New Zealand · Boys39 shared years, 1954–1999

    John held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Kevin in 0.

    Highest recorded here: John #1 in 1954, Kevin #8 in 1954.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 1999: John #40, Kevin #94.

  • England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025

    John held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Kevin in 0.

    Highest recorded here: John #46 in 1996, Kevin #141 in 1996.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: John #174, Kevin #292.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024

    John held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Kevin in 0.

    Highest recorded here: John #17 in 1997, Kevin #60 in 1998.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: John #67, Kevin #164.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving John

Pairs where John shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Kevin

Pairs where Kevin shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — peaked in the same years.

All peaked in the same years→

Other pairs from New Zealand lists

Pairs measured inside New Zealand's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

New Zealand overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 1990s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 1990 and 1999.

The 1990s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of John, Kevin
FieldJohnKevin
Record typeEditorially researched profileEditorially researched profile
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningFrom Hebrew Yochanan, 'Yahweh is gracious', via Greek Ioannes and Latin Iohannes. One of the most widespread names in Christian Europe, associated with both John the Baptist and the apostle John.An Anglicized form of the Irish Caoimhín, combining Old Irish 'cóem' (dear, beloved, gentle) with 'gein' (birth) — 'beloved birth'. Associated with Saint Caoimhín, who founded a monastery at Glendalough in the 6th century.
OriginBiblical HebrewIrish
Pronunciation/ˈjɔn//ˈkɛv.ɪn/
Syllables12
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Boys #29 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Boys #139 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/10090/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10094/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • John is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Kevin is recorded with a Irish origin.
  • John has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Kevin.
  • John's recorded meaning differs from Kevin's — see the table above for each.
  • Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.

How each name got here

John

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #20 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1952–2019

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2019).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #174 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Kevin

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1952

    First recorded at #26 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1954–1999

    Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1999).

    New Zealand · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #292 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys