Kevin vs Preben
Kevin and Prebencompared 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 2021, Kevin was ranked #135 and Preben #409 among boys in Norway.
Kevin and Preben over time
Kevin and Preben appear together in 1 published list, across 63 years of shared records. Kevin held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Preben in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Preben reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1991, Kevin moved ahead of Preben in Norway · Boys — #116 and #91 the year before became #79 and #119.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Kevin and Preben changed places 13 times in Norway · Boys between 1953 and 2021, ending at #135 and #409.
- Longest-running competitions
Kevin and Preben were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 63 years, from 1953 to 2021, ending at #135 and #409.
List by list
Norway · Boys63 shared years, 1953–2021
Kevin held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Preben in 26.
Highest recorded here: Kevin #44 in 2002, Preben #81 in 1997.
The order changed in 1991: Kevin moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #116 and #91; by 1991 that had become #79 and #119.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Kevin #135, Preben #409.
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 | Preben |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛv.ɪn/ | Not yet recorded |
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #139 (2025) | Norway · Boys #409 (2021) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kevin has a recorded origin (Irish); Preben does not have one recorded yet.
- Kevin and Preben both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kevin; Preben doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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 #292 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Preben
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #307 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1947–2021
Highest recorded position: #81 among boys in Norway, in 1997 (recorded 1947–2021).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #409 among boys in Norway, in 2021.
Norway · Boys