Kelvin (given name)

Kelvin is a masculine given name, ultimately derived from the title of William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, who received a baronage named for the River Kelvin (the river flowing past the University of Glasgow) in 1892. Isolated use of "Kelvin" as a given name is recorded in England in the 1920s, and the name rises in popularity in the United States around 1950, according to the authors of the Oxford Dictionary of First Names possibly by association with the similar-sounding Kevin, which surged in popularity at about the same time, and maybe further influenced by Calvin and Melvin. In the United States the name peaked in popularity at rank 209 in 1961 and has declined steadily since, dropping to rank 726 as of 2016.