Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kelvin

Kelvin is a modern 20th century coinage, a name taken from a river located in Scotland which flows for a mere 22 miles southwest from the hills of Central Scotland to the River Clyde in Glasgow. Just as the masculine given name Clyde originated from a Scottish river, so too did Kelvin (although Kelvin is much more modern in terms of usage). A famous quasi-bearer of this name is Lord Kelvin (aka William Thompson, 1824-1907). He took his title of Lord Kelvin in honor of the river which flowed past the University of Glasgow where he worked as a professor and made great strides in the laws of thermodynamics (the kelvin scale is named after him). When and how the Kelvin River was named is unclear, and the etymology of the word is also uncertain. Some sources claim Kelvin means “narrow waters” while others assert it translates to “ship of friends” or “river man”. Kelvin was converted into a masculine given name in Scotland and Northern England sometime around the 1930s and eventually spread to the United States in the 1950s where is was quickly adopted by African-Americans. Kelvin may also have been influenced by the marriage of names like Kevin and Melvin, or else a slight variation of Calvin.

All About the Baby Name – Kelvin

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME KELVIN

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME KELVIN

Kelvin first appeared on the American male naming charts in 1950. That year it landed on the charts at an impressive position of #574 (usually new names limp onto the charts starting with positions in the 900s). We assumed there must be some pop-culture influence at work, but despite exhaustive research we were unable to uncover anything. Usage of Kelvin continued to grow before hitting its highest position the charts in 1965 (#207) when the name was bestowed on nearly 1,200 baby boys. Since the latter half of the 1960s, Kelvin has been experiencing a slow and steady decline. Today the name is only moderately bestowed at best and it continues to drop on the charts, given to around 450 boys last year. Kelvin is definitely Scottish in origin, but it has also been closely connected to Black Americans who seem to show particular favor for this off-beat name. Kelvin may not necessarily be a “hot” choice by today’s naming standards, but it is the name of a temperature scale (thanks to Lord Kelvin).

Quick Facts

ON KELVIN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

African-American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

611

PRONUNCIATION:

KEHL-vin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Narrow waters

Characteristics

OF KELVIN

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kelvin

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KELVIN

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

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KELVIN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kelvin


Popular Songs

ON KELVIN

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


Famous People

NAMED KELVIN

Kelvin Bryant (football player)
Kelvin Cato (basketball player)
Kelvin Chapman (baseball player)
Kelvin Davis (soccer player)
Kelvin Hayden (football player)
Kelvin Martin (notorious criminal)
Kelvin Mercer (musician)
Kelvin Norman (soccer player)
Kelvin Pritchett (football player)
Kelvin Upshaw (basketball player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED KELVIN

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KELVIN

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