Gavin
Meaning
form of Gawain; meaning disputed, traditionally "white hawk"
Goes by Gav
The story
Gavin descends from Gawain, King Arthur's nephew in the old romances and the knight who kept his bargain with the Green Knight even when keeping it looked fatal; the medieval form Gavin flourished especially in Scotland. What the name first meant is disputed; the traditional reading is white hawk. Scotland kept it in ordinary use for centuries while America barely touched it, and the US curve stayed low and nearly flat deep into the twentieth century. The move came in stages: a stir in the 1990s, then a real climb to a plateau across the 2000s and 2010s. Rock listeners might note that Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush was all over American radio just as the 1990s numbers turned upward; the timing lines up, whatever the truth of it. The name has since eased off its peak, familiar now without being everywhere, which may be the sweet spot.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Gavin peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
22 people · the #116,443 first name in Brazil · median age 28
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Gavin
Most people given the name Gavin in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Gavin deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Gavin truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Gavin fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Gavin · Nicknames for Gavin · Middle names for Gavin
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