Kelvin (given name)
Appearance
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,[1] 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.[1] 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.[2]
People with the given name
[edit]In arts and entertainment
[edit]- Kelvin Fletcher, English actor
- Kelvin Gosnell, British comics editor
- Kelvin Harrison Jr., American actor
- Kelvin Holly, American guitarist
- Kelvin Mercer, American DJ
- Kelvin Sng, Singaporean film director
- Kelvin Tan Wei Lian, Singaporean singer
In politics
[edit]- Kelvin Davis, New Zealand Member of Parliament
- Kelvin Goertzen, Canadian politician
- Kelvin Hopkins, British Labour MP
- Kelvin Ogilvie, Canadian chemist and senator
- Kelvin Thomson, Australian politician
In sports
[edit]Football (soccer)
[edit]- Kelvin Clarke, English former footballer
- Kelvin Davis, English footballer
- Kelvin Etuhu, Nigerian footballer
- Kelvin Jack, Trinidadian footballer
- Kelvin Langmead, English footballer
- Kelvin Lomax, English footballer
- Kelvin Mateus de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- Kelvin Wilson, English footballer
American football
[edit]- Kelvin Anderson, retired American football player
- Kelvin Benjamin, American football player
- Kelvin Bryant, American football player
- Kelvin Harmon, American football player
- Kelvin Hayden, American football player
- Kelvin Joseph (born 1999), American football player
- Kelvin Kinney, American football player
- Kelvin Kirk, American football player
- Kelvin Korver, American football player
- Kelvin Smith, American football player
Australian rules football
[edit]- Kelvin Matthews, former Australian rules footballer
- Kelvin Moore, former Australian rules footballer
- Kelvin W. Moore, former Australian rules footballer
- Kelvin Templeton, former Australian rules footballer
Basketball
[edit]- Kelvin Cato, American basketball player
- Kelvin dela Peña, Filipino-Canadian basketball player
- Kelvin Ransey, American basketball player
- Kelvin Sampson, American basketball coach
- Kelvin Scarborough, American basketball player
- Kelvin Upshaw, American basketball player
Other sports
[edit]- Kelvin Batey, English competitive BMW racer
- Kelvin Burt, British auto racing driver
- Kelvin Davis, American boxer
- Kelvin Gastelum, American mixed martial artist
- Kelvin Kiptum, Kenyan long-distance runner
- Kelvin Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
In other fields
[edit]- Kelvin Droegemeier, American meteorologist and government advisor
- Kelvin Holdsworth, Scottish clergyman
- Kelvin Kent (disambiguation), multiple people
- Kelvin Lancaster, American academic
- Kelvin MacKenzie, British media executive
- Kelvin Malone, American spree killer
- Kelvin Martin, American criminal
- Kelvin Ogilvie, Canadian chemist and senator
Fictional characters
[edit]- Kelvin Carpenter, fictional character in the television show EastEnders
- Kelvin Gemstone, fictional character in the television show The Righteous Gemstones
- Kelvin Joe Inman, secondary character on the ABC television drama Lost
References
[edit]- ^ a b A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press (2007) s.v. "Kelvin".
- ^ behindthename.com