Has Kevin surpassed naffness to enter a new era of acceptability?

[MrsSeanBean]

I would not use the name personally, but it seems to me that a whole new raft of names have come to the fore these days, making names such as Kevin (Gary, Barry, Lee etc) seem almost quasi-respectable.

What do you think? Maybe it still needs a few more years yet.

I know a lady who is going to call her baby boy Geoffrey

It is after her late father, so very honourable. But still - Geoffrey?!

I knew of a baby Kevin. One of those "er, what?" moments of introductions . I also know toddlers called Douglas, Phillip, Stephen and there are two Susans at school.

No, no, no!!

Kevin, Nigel, Barry not until we are all dead and buried of at all. Wayne, never. I do think a few are slipping through now, mainly people naming kids after grandfathers I assume. I came across a 6m old Malcolm at a baby group recently which is just wrong! Apparently after the dad.

I know little boys called Bernie and Lennie. i would hve pulled a cat's bum face about that five years ago, but now I think they are beyond fabulous.

i know a wee mark and a douglas too makes a change from all the poncy twat names doing the rounds these days, i love darren and stewart but they are my cousins names and thats just weird :)

Susan will be back
Brian less likely

I really like Phyllis as a name. And Mark, and Philip, and Douglas, and all those names which are recognisable as names, not as random collections of syllables.

And what about Kevin McCloud? Surely he could cause a Mumsnet revival of the name single handed?

I know a couple of Kevin Barry 's so called after famous Irish Nationalist, so i suppose in context it ok.

Befuzzled, Ulrika Jonson called her son Malcolm, and only a couple of years ago :)

I know a lot of Kevins under 12 (old school Catholic classic sums it up in Ireland and Irish circles abroad). The one Kevin in DS's class (aged 18 now) was half French, half Cuban.

No Brians or Susans in my neck of the woods.

Kevin is lovely! It's a nice sound if you think of it without any context, and although people might think of it as "boring" or "middle-aged" I think a "cool" teenager would be able to carry it off quite well! Or what about the original Irish? Caoimhín, pronounced cwee-veen (sort of, the w is quite faint)

Trevor? Terry? Russell? They just sound odd when you think of them belonging to a baby or toddler...

'Kweeven'??

No, not unless one was clinically insane or addled with drugs.

I know a 10yo Kevin.

Have to say that I once heard his name get an audieble (I assume from a member of staff) when announced in school assembly. oops!

I think it is pretty dated as a name and well away from being trendy. All the others I know are aged 30-50. Quite popular in US tho I believe.

Kevin McCloud is the best thing about the name! ;)

It's a great Irish name, absolutely nothing wrong with it at all.

Popular in the U.S., not because it's trendy or anything, but because it's seen as a lovely, classic name along the lines of Jack or Michael. For Irish Americans it has the benefit of being recognisably Irish while still being well known and pronounceable by everyone. I know two young (under 10) Kevins in the U.S., and one in Ireland.

I can't believe the name Kevin would provoke such a strong negative reaction from people in the U.K. that people would feel sorry for a child given the name! Interesting - can someone fill me (and other non-Brit MNers) in on what the cultural context is that makes it so 'naff'? Is it just a matter of it having been hugely popular at one point so that it's associated with a particular era, or is it too closely connected with a particular character or person? Genuinely and curious!

DH's dad, one of his brothers AND his nephew are all Kevin! It's raining Kev's round here! They are referred to as Kev, little Kev and baby Kev. I kid you not!

Holy crap, I am giggling as I type. I'm sorry, I should go........

Batman to the rescue :) Thanks for that.

I watched 7 seconds of the 'teenager' one before I had to turn it off to prevent myself from throwing the laptop across the room.

But the gerbil was kind of cute.

Kevin was a naff name a long time before Kevin the teenager became a well known character.

It's a name for middled aged men in polyester cardigans who wear driving gloves and have a comb-over.

No

Sorry for the offence moondog, just thought I'd suggest it as I'm in Ireland and I know no Kevins but several Caoimhíns!

No offence taken or meant.

Kevin is not a middle aged man with a combover; Kevin is a twentysomething lad in the eighties with a 'tache, mullet, marble washed denim jacket and an RS Turbo. Think Kevin Webster...