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Boy · Welsh, through French and English
Gavin
Say it: GAV-in
Meaning
A medieval form of Gawain, the Arthurian knight; the name is probably related to Welsh Gwalchmai, possibly 'hawk of May', but the link is debated.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Kept in use in Scotland after the Middle Ages, it became a top-50 American name in the 2000s.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 2000s
In the United States
- 181,530 babies given this name since 1913
- At its height in 2008, about 1 in 174 boys
- 2,570 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Gaven, Gavyn
| English | Gawain |
|---|---|
| French | Gauvain |
| Welsh | Gwalchmai |
Famous bearers
- Gavin Douglas, Scottish poet and bishop
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The medieval Arthurian romances
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- 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.