Meaning: Its source is coelan wine, an English name meaning "Friend of ships."

Alternative Spellings: Kelvan and Kelvyn

Variant Forms: Kelwyn

Popularity: The name Kelvin ranked 353rd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 358th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Narrative: Name scholars are uncertain of Kelvin's meaning. However, a Kelvin communicating from England shared with us his knowledge about the meaning and derivation of this Scottish river name. Based on his information, our follow-up research found a likely Old English phrase (coelan wine meaning ''Friend of ships'') that could have developed into the name Kelvin.

Kelvin did not commonly appear as a first name until the early 20th century. The fame of physicist William Thomson, named Baron Kelvin in 1882 to honor his achievements, plus its blend of the more familiar names Kevin and Melvin, might account for its use today.