Given name & surname
Cavanaugh
“a follower of Kevin”
Cavanaugh is a variant of Cavanagh. One Irish interpretation is “a follower of Kevin.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Cavanaugh is a variant of Cavanagh. One Irish interpretation is “a follower of Kevin.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Cavanaugh is a variant of Cavanagh. An origin associated with Cavanagh is Irish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2002. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cavanaugh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 59
- 59 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #12,371 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 12,371 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 163 as a first name in 2020; 16,961 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cavanaugh’s family of names
Cavanaugh has a related form in Cavanagh. In English usage, Cavanaugh as a surname has a related form in Kavanagh.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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