Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Devon

Most people think of Devon as an altered spelling of the Irish-Gaelic personal name Devin, when in fact, it’s not. Devon has its own separate etymological roots; it’s derived from an English surname originating as a place name so called Devon County in southwest England. The name Devon derives from the name of a Celtic tribe – the Dumnonii –who inhabited this area of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion (circa AD 50). These were the Byrthonic group of Celts (as opposed to the Gaels), and from their language came the word “Devnent” meaning ‘deep valley dwellers’. The Celtic Dumnonii were worshippers of their personal god Dumnōnos. The surname Devon is also linked to the French word “devin” which described a ‘divine person’ – akin to a hermit or someone committed to the good works. The first recorded spelling was Le Devin in the 12th century.

All About the Baby Name – Devon

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME DEVON

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME DEVON

The male name Devon first appeared on the U.S. popularity charts in 1960, so this is a name only 50 years old in America. Devon has also been used as a girl’s name and appeared on the female naming charts between 1977 and 2005, so technically this name is considered unisex (although it’s rarely used for little girls anymore). The popularity of Devon for the male gender has been far more successful, particularly in the 1990s when the name almost made the Top 100 list of most favored boy names. Since the name no longer appears on the female naming charts, we pretty much consider this name distinct for little boys but wholeheartedly agree it’s lovely for girls too. It definitely has an androgynous sound so it works for either gender quite well. We actually think it’s more unique for females for this reason. Devon is a confident name – and a handsome one at that!

Quick Facts

ON DEVON

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

446

PRONUNCIATION:

DEV-ən or də-VAHN

SIMPLE MEANING:

Divine person

Characteristics

OF DEVON

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Devon

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME DEVON

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Devon

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME DEVON

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Devon


Popular Songs

ON DEVON

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Devon


Famous People

NAMED DEVON

Devon Murray (Irish actor)
Devon Aoki (model/actress)
Devon Gummersall (actor)
Devon Sproule (singer/songwriter)
Devon Sawa (actor)
Devon Werkheiser (actor)
Devon White (baseball player)
Devon McTavish (soccer player)
Devon Murray (Irish actor)
Devon Aoki (model/actress)
Devon Gummersall (actor)
Devon Sproule (singer/songwriter)
Devon Sawa (actor)
Devon Werkheiser (actor)
Devon White (baseball player)
Devon McTavish (soccer player)
Devon Murray (Irish actor)
Devon Aoki (model/actress)
Devon Gummersall (actor)
Devon Sproule (singer/songwriter)
Devon Sawa (actor)
Devon Werkheiser (actor)
Devon White (baseball player)
Devon McTavish (soccer player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED DEVON

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Devon

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME DEVON

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Devon