Given name & surname
Garvin
“a friend with a spear”
Garvin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a friend with a spear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a friend with a spear.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1894. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Garvin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,424
- 2,424 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 52 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −62%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 52 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,489 as a first name in 2020; 12,603 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.
Garvin’s family of names
Garvin has a related form in Garvan. Garvin has a related form in Garven. Garvin has a related form in Garvort.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Garvin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Malvin
“a leader” · “a friend who offers counsel”
>99% boys
Garnett
“resembling the dark-red gem” · “one who wields a spear”
>99% boys
Garland
“decorated with a wreath of flowers” · “one who is crowned”
86% boys · 14% girls
Merton
“from the village near the pond” · “from the town near the lake”
>99% boys
Melton
“from the mill town”
>99% boys
Morton
“from the town near the moor”
>99% boys
Irwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Linton
“from the flax town”
>99% boys