Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Kevin

Meaning — Anglicised from the Irish Caoimhín, composed of the Old Irish elements caomh ("dear, gentle, kind") and -gein ("birth"), meaning roughly "kind birth" or "beloved child." The name was popularised by Saint Kevin of Glendalough, a 6th-century Irish monk known for his asceticism and love of nature. Kevin became widely used in English-speaking countries in the 20th century.·Irish origin·Male·KEV-in

Kevin Kevin is an approachable, down-to-earth name with strong associations with Irish warmth and mid-20th-century suburban Americana. Characters named Kevin often read as relatable everyman figures — good-natured, occasionally underestimated, and capable of surprising depth. The name works well for characters whose inner lives are richer than their outward simplicity suggests.

Best genres for Kevin

Contemporary FictionLiterary FictionCrime FictionYoung Adult

Famous characters named Kevin

No verified literary characters with this exact given name were found yet. We are continuously expanding this section.


Variations & nicknames

KevinKevanKev

Pairs well with

Kevin DonnellyKevin FlanaganKevin BurkeKevin WattsKevin SheridanKevin Mallory

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More Irish names

Branagh

Derived from the Irish "Branach" meaning "descendant of Bran", with Bran meaning "raven". The name carries the raven symbolism of its root — prophecy, battle, and the boundary between life and death — while the "-ach" suffix gives it the sense of a person who embodies or descends from these qualities. The name is both a surname and given name in Irish tradition.

Kiera

An anglicised variant of the Irish "Ciarán" or the feminine "Ciara", from the Old Irish "ciar" meaning "dark", "black", or "dark-haired". Kiera represents the anglicised spelling used most commonly in the Irish diaspora, particularly in North America, where it gained prominence through Irish-American communities and the actress Keira Knightley (an alternative spelling).

Seamus

The Irish form of James, which derives from the Late Latin "Jacomus", a variant of "Jacobus", from the Hebrew "Ya'aqov" (Jacob) meaning "supplanter" or "he who follows at the heel". Séamus has been used in Ireland since the Norman introduction of the name James, and it has become one of the most recognisably Irish masculine names internationally, associated with Irish poetry, politics, and cultural identity.

Clodagh

Named after the River Clodagh in County Tipperary and County Waterford, Ireland — one of several Irish rivers whose names became given names. The river name itself is of uncertain Celtic origin, possibly derived from an ancient tribal or geographical term. Clodagh as a given name was popularised by the Marquess of Waterford who named his daughter after the family's local river in the late nineteenth century, making it a relatively modern addition to the Irish naming canon.

Oonagh

Possibly an Irish form connected to "Una" or "Oonagh", from Old Irish "uan" meaning "lamb" or possibly from a root meaning "unity" or "one". In Irish mythology and folklore, Áine/Oonagh appears as a fairy queen — Oonagh was the queen of the fairies in many folk traditions, the wife of Fionnbarra, king of the Irish fairies, renowned for her golden hair that reached the ground.

Sinéad

The Irish form of Jane or Janet, which are ultimately derived from the Hebrew "Yochanan" (Yahweh is gracious) via the Old French "Jehanne". Though ultimately of Hebrew origin, Sinéad is thoroughly and specifically Irish in character — it has been used in Ireland since the medieval period as the Irish equivalent of Jane and has been so completely naturalised that it functions as an authentically Irish name. Associated particularly with Irish music through singer Sinéad O'Connor.


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