Meaning and background
The story behind Kevin
Kevin is the anglicized form of Irish Caoimhín, from older elements associated with being dear or beloved and with birth. The reference documents the sixth-century saint linked with Glendalough, giving the familiar modern spelling a specific Irish history. English and French reference pronunciations differ at the ending. For a dog, Kevin may appeal as a straightforward human-style name or as a personal tribute. Its historical meaning is a language explanation, while any affectionate story about the particular dog belongs to the owner.
- Origin
- Anglicized Irish Caoimhín, from elements associated with being dear or beloved and birth. Source
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Everyday moments“Kevin, come here!”
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About Kevin
Recorded as a dog’s name
Kevin appears in 29 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/kɛvɪn/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/kɛvɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1K EH1 V IH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.