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 2024, John was ranked #164 and Kevin #264 among boys in England and Wales.
John and Kevin over time
John and Kevin appear together in 6 published lists, across 278 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 New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 50 years, from 1952 to 2001, ending at #53 and #98.
- 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 · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
John held the stronger position in 29 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, 2024: John #164, Kevin #264.
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.
Side by side
| Field | John | Kevin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From 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. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjɔn/ | /ˈkɛv.ɪn/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #29 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #139 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
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
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
Highest recorded1952–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–2019).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #161 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Kevin
Popularity journey
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
Highest recorded1954–1999
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1999).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #186 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys