Caoimhín
Say it: KEE-veen/ˈkiːvʲiːnʲ/
BoyIrishMeans usually explained as "gentle birth" or "dear one"8 letters2 syllables
#207
in Ireland (2025)
#184 with spellings combined
26
babies in 2025
#184
best rank (2025)
315
babies since 1965
Up 277
10-year rank change
Caoimhín through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #184 |
| 2024 | 19 | #229 |
| 2023 | 17 | #248 |
| 2022 | 17 | #266 |
| 2021 | 16 | #270 |
| 2020 | 10 | #369 |
| 2019 | 9 | #389 |
| 2018 | 5 | #543 |
| 2017 | 5 | #547 |
| 2016 | 6 | #491 |
| 2015 | 7 | #461 |
| 2013 | 5 | #535 |
| 2012 | 13 | #324 |
| 2011 | 7 | #455 |
| 2010 | 12 | #338 |
| 2009 | 9 | #386 |
| 2008 | 15 | #287 |
| 2007 | 10 | #326 |
| 2006 | 8 | #335 |
| 2005 | 11 | #254 |
| 2004 | 7 | #322 |
| 2003 | 3 | #500 |
| 2002 | 6 | #313 |
| 2001 | 4 | #347 |
| 2000 | 4 | #347 |
| 1999 | 4 | #330 |
| 1998 | 5 | #280 |
| 1997 | 5 | #303 |
| 1996 | 12 | #200 |
| 1995 | 5 | #281 |
| 1993 | 4 | #302 |
| 1992 | 4 | #298 |
| 1988 | 3 | #319 |
| 1986 | 5 | #256 |
| 1984 | 5 | #250 |
| 1982 | 3 | #330 |
| 1979 | 5 | #269 |
| 1965 | 4 | #222 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Caoimhín mean?
Usually explained as "gentle birth" or "dear one"
Irish, from Old Irish Cóemgen, built on cóem (dear, gentle).
Say it right
KEEveen
"mh" sounds like "v". In Munster the stress often moves to the end, kee-VEEN.
Not:KAY-oh-min
The story of Caoimhín
Caoimhín is the Irish form of the name that English speakers know as Kevin. It comes from the Old Irish Cóemgen. The first part is cóem, now caomh, meaning dear, gentle or fair, and the second part is usually taken to mean birth. In modern Irish it is heard as caomh with the small ending -ín.
The name belongs to Saint Kevin, a sixth-century hermit who founded the monastery at Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains. Stories of his gentleness with animals are still told there, and Glendalough remains a place of pilgrimage.
For most of the CSO records Caoimhín was given to only a few boys a year, while Kevin was far more common. That has changed recently. 2025 was its best year, with 26 boys and a rank of number 184 once spellings are combined. The CSO counts Caoimhín (23) and Caoimhin (3) separately, and it only recorded the fada from 2018. It is popular in Northern Ireland too, where it reached number 99 in 2021.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Caoimhín (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Kevin
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Caoimhín | 23 | 116 |
| Caoimhin | 3 | 199 |
In Northern Ireland
#114 in 2025 with 20 babies. Best rank #99 (2021); 573 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.