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Boy · Old English
Alvin
Say it: AL-vin
Meaning
From Old English Ælfwine, from ælf 'elf' and wine 'friend'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Common in the US from the 1880s to the 1950s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1920s
In the United States
- 160,808 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1927, about 1 in 391 boys
- 369 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Alwin, Alwyn
Famous bearers
- Alvin York, American First World War hero
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.