Head to head · Boys' names
Griffin vs Kevin
#222 vs #221 in 2025
Kevin is a whisker ahead (#221 vs #222 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Kevin is stepping back from its peak, Griffin is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Griffin has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Kevin leads 4 measures of 6; Griffin leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Griffin #856, Kevin — — Griffin higher
- 1890s: Griffin #977, Kevin — — Griffin higher
- 1900s: Griffin #942, Kevin — — Griffin higher
- 1910s: Griffin #1410, Kevin #1829 — Griffin higher
- 1920s: Griffin #1643, Kevin #917 — Kevin higher
- 1930s: Griffin #1898, Kevin #471 — Kevin higher
- 1940s: Griffin #1738, Kevin #209 — Kevin higher
- 1950s: Griffin #1854, Kevin #34 — Kevin higher
- 1960s: Griffin #2102, Kevin #15 — Kevin higher
- 1970s: Griffin #1756, Kevin #15 — Kevin higher
- 1980s: Griffin #911, Kevin #22 — Kevin higher
- 1990s: Griffin #398, Kevin #27 — Kevin higher
- 2000s: Griffin #238, Kevin #36 — Kevin higher
- 2010s: Griffin #231, Kevin #88 — Kevin higher
- 2020s: Griffin #227, Kevin #188 — Kevin higher
Kevin stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Kevin has held the lead since the 1920s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Griffin | Kevin |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #856 | — |
| 1890s | #977 | — |
| 1900s | #942 | — |
| 1910s | #1410 | #1829 |
| 1920s | #1643 | #917 |
| 1930s | #1898 | #471 |
| 1940s | #1738 | #209 |
| 1950s | #1854 | #34 |
| 1960s | #2102 | #15 |
| 1970s | #1756 | #15 |
| 1980s | #911 | #22 |
| 1990s | #398 | #27 |
| 2000s | #238 | #36 |
| 2010s | #231 | #88 |
| 2020s | #227 | #188 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Griffin
'Lord' or 'chief' (Welsh), or the griffin of heraldry
Two genuine sources sit behind the same spelling. As an anglicization of Welsh Gruffudd, the second element is udd, 'lord, chief'; the first element is not securely explained, though it is often read as 'strong'. Separately, Griffin came into English as a surname from Latin gryphus, the griffin — half eagle, half lion — a creature of Greek myth that became one of the standard beasts of medieval coats of arms. The Irish surname Ó Gríobhtha carries the same beast-word, gríobh.
Gruffudd → Gruffydd → Griffith → Griffin
How it traveled
Gruffudd was a name of Welsh rulers through the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and English clerks who had to write it down flattened it toward Griffith and Griffin. At the same time, quite independently, Griffin was spreading as a surname from the griffin of heraldry — the eagle-headed lion that guarded treasure in Greek storytelling and later stood on shields across Europe.
Kevin
gentle; kindly
Irish caomh means gentle, kind or beloved, and Caoimhin adds the diminutive -in, giving something like the gentle one. The derivation is well attested. It is worth noticing what the name does not say: most early medieval men's names across Europe are about battle, spears, rule or wolves, and a name meaning gentle stands out sharply against that background.
Caoimhín → Kevin
How it traveled
Kevin of Glendalough founded a monastery in a valley in Wicklow in the sixth century and is one of Ireland's principal saints; the stories about him involve a great deal of standing still in cold water and a blackbird nesting in his outstretched hand. The name stayed inside Ireland for a very long time and crossed to America with Irish emigration, becoming widely used in the middle of the last century — the first Gaelic name to do so on that scale, and the reason the rest followed.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Griffin
GRIF-in
Two syllables, stress on the first, the same as the mythical creature. Americans say it one way; the Welsh source name Gruffudd is quite different, roughly GRIF-ith.
- Griff — The standard short form, used informally and also found on its own as a given name and a surname.
- Griffy — Affectionate, mostly used within families and in early childhood.
- Fin — Occasional, taken from the end of the name rather than the start; overlaps with the separate name Finn.
Kevin
KEV-in
KEV-in, two syllables, stress at the front. Irish Caoimhin is closer to KWEE-veen or KEE-veen depending on the dialect, with the mh sounded as a v — so the English name is a considerable simplification of the original rather than a spelling of it.
- Kev — The front clipped, and the short form nearly every Kevin is given; a complete working name.
- Kevo — The name with an Australian-style ending, which travels further than its origin suggests.
- Vin — The back taken alone, and a standing short form of its own from an unrelated name.
Who has carried each name
Griffin
No documented entry for Griffin yet.
Kevin
Kevin Hart (b. 1979) — One of comedy's biggest box-office stars
Kevin Costner (b. 1955) — Dances with Wolves Oscar winner
Kevin Durant (b. 1988) — One of the NBA's greatest scorers
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Griffin if you want…
- a name on the way upup 19 places on the charts in five years
- a name that feels very nowGriffin is holding its place on the charts
Choose Kevin if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKevin is stepping back from its peak
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Griffin
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Griffin
Strengths
- Everyone already knows how to spell it, because the griffin is a common word in English and Griffin is a widespread surname.
- Griff is a ready-made short form with a long history, so the name works formally and informally without extra effort.
- On US records continuously for well over a century, with no sharp fashion spike to date it to one narrow stretch of years.
To consider
- The griffin is also a heraldic beast, and children will find that out. For most families that is a small pleasure; for a few it invites the kind of nickname that comes with wings and claws attached.
- It is a very common surname, so Griffin as a first name can be read backwards on forms and in roll calls, especially paired with a surname that also works as a first name.
- Griffin, Griffen and Griffyn all circulate, and the Welsh Griffith sits close by, so expect the occasional correction even though your spelling is the standard one.
Kevin
Strengths
- The meaning is gentle, which almost no other men's name of its age can say.
- Kev is a clean short form that works in any English-speaking country.
- The saint behind it is a real and well-documented figure with a place still attached to him.
To consider
- A very great many people carry it, so a Kevin will rarely be the only one in a room over a lifetime.
- In France and Germany the name arrived later and carries class associations it does not carry here, which matters if the family moves.
- It is strongly associated with one American generation and dates a person fairly closely.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Griffin
40%chance Griffin feels dated by 2040
Griffin sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Kevin
12%chance Kevin feels dated by 2040
Kevin has held the top-100 across 7 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Griffin and Kevin in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Seven-letter names, ranked by real use
- Names with a double letter
- Hero and god names for boys
- Welsh names beyond Dylan
- all guides
Where Griffin and Kevin each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Griffin or Kevin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Griffin or Kevin?
- Kevin, in 2025: Kevin ranked #221 with 1,628 babies; Griffin ranked #222 with 1,627 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Griffin or Kevin?
- Griffin. Over the last five years Griffin moved up 19 places; Kevin moved down 64 places.
- Which is the older name, Griffin or Kevin?
- Griffin entered the US charts in 1881; Kevin entered the US charts in 1912. On the American record, Griffin is the older name.
- How many people are named Griffin and Kevin?
- About 49,500 people named Griffin are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 1,053,000 people named Kevin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Griffins or Kevins in the classroom?
- Griffin will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kevin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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