Kevis
An English name derived from Old German meaning "battle commander".
Name Census estimates that about 235 living Americans carry the first name Kevis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kevis today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kevis births was 1986 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kevis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
235
~ 1 in 1,458,529 Americans
Peak year
1986
14 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2007 SSA rank
#13,474
Tracked since 1972
Census
Kevis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 238 people with the first name Kevis, which placed it at #34,342 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,342
National first-name rank
People counted
238
238 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
75.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kevis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kevis is Black at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Hispanic (8.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kevis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kevis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.2% · 179
- White9.7% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 21
- Two or more races4.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
Popularity
Kevis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kevis from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 94 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Kevis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kevis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kevis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kevis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kevis
The name Kevis is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, spoken by various tribes across Europe during the Iron Age and medieval periods. The root of the name is thought to derive from the Proto-Celtic word "kevis," which roughly translates to "hollow" or "valley."
In ancient times, the name Kevis was likely used as a descriptive surname or nickname to denote someone who lived in or near a valley or hollow area. As the use of surnames became more widespread, this topographical designation may have transitioned into a formal given name, particularly among Celtic populations in regions like modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kevis can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, an Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention a "Kevis mac Muiredaig," who was a notable figure in the Kingdom of Munster during the late 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kevis. One such figure was Kevis of Cornwall, a legendary figure from Cornish folklore who is said to have lived in the 6th century AD. According to the tales, Kevis was a skilled huntsman and warrior who fought against the invading Saxon armies.
Another notable Kevis was Kevis ap Gwgan (c. 1230 - c. 1300), a Welsh poet and bard who served under several Welsh princes during the late 13th century. His works, which have been preserved in various manuscript collections, provide valuable insights into the literary and cultural traditions of medieval Wales.
In the realm of religion, there was Kevis the Blessed (c. 1150 - c. 1220), a Cistercian monk and mystic from the Monastery of Biddenden in Kent, England. He was renowned for his piety and spiritual wisdom, and his writings on contemplative prayer were highly influential during his lifetime.
Moving into more modern times, Kevis Buckley (1923 - 2008) was a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on topics ranging from art and culture to travel and politics. His memoir, "Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee," offers a fascinating glimpse into the literary and artistic circles of mid-20th century Britain.
While the name Kevis may not be as common as some other given names, it has a rich and fascinating history spanning centuries and cultures. From its ancient Celtic roots to its appearances in folklore, literature, and religious texts, the name continues to endure as a unique and intriguing moniker.
People
Kevis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kevis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kevis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kevis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 235 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kevis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,458,529 US residents.
Is Kevis a common name?
We classify Kevis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 245 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kevis most popular?
The single biggest year for Kevis was 1986, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kevis is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kevis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 238 people with the name Kevis, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,342 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kevis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kevis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kevis leans strongly male. 233 people counted with this name were male (95.9%), compared with 10 female bearers (4.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kevis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kevis is Black at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Hispanic (8.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kevis most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kevis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (179 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kevis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kevis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kevis in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kevis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kevis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kevis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Kevis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.