Kevin vs Markus
Kevin and Markuscompared 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Kevin was ranked #186 and Markus #68 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Kevin was ranked #174 and Markus #655 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2016, Kevin was ranked #216 and Markus #358 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Kevin was ranked #264 and Markus #1162 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Kevin was ranked #432 and Markus #727 among boys in Scotland.
Kevin and Markus over time
Kevin and Markus appear together in 3 published lists, across 112 years of shared records. Kevin held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Markus in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Kevin and Markus changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1956 and 2025, ending at #186 and #68.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 64 shared years in Norway · Boys, Kevin and Markus averaged 46.3 places apart, ending at #186 and #68.
- Longest-running competitions
Kevin and Markus were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 64 years, from 1956 to 2025, ending at #186 and #68.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Kevin #18 in 1971, Markus #304 in 1971.
List by list
Norway · Boys64 shared years, 1956–2025
Kevin held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Markus in 52.
Highest recorded here: Kevin #44 in 2002, Markus #13 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Kevin #186, Markus #68.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Kevin held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Markus in 0.
Highest recorded here: Kevin #141 in 1996, Markus #711 in 2009.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Kevin #264, Markus #1162.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 1971–2024
Kevin held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Markus in 0.
Highest recorded here: Kevin #18 in 1971, Markus #304 in 1971.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Kevin #174, Markus #655.
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 | Kevin | Markus |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | 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. | Traditionally associated with the Roman god Mars, though both sources describe this connection as probable/traditional rather than certain, with no confirmed pre-Latin root established. |
| Origin | Irish | Latin, via the Roman praenomen Marcus; Markus is the German/Scandinavian form |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛv.ɪn/ | /ˈmarː.kɵs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #139 (2025) | Norway · Boys #68 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kevin is recorded with a Irish origin, while Markus is recorded with a Latin, via the Roman praenomen Marcus; Markus is the German/Scandinavian form origin.
- Kevin and Markus both have 2 syllables.
- Kevin's recorded meaning differs from Markus's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
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
Markus
Popularity journey
First recorded1956
First recorded at #406 among boys in Norway in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1956–2025
Highest recorded position: #13 among boys in Norway, in 1998 (recorded 1956–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #68 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys