Given name & surname · also Celtic
Gavin
“a little white falcon”
Gavin is used as a given name and a surname. One Welsh interpretation is “a little white falcon.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “a little white falcon.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Celtic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Its literary history includes the stories of King Arthur and his knights.
Gavin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 189,665
- 189,270 boys · 395 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 11,889 babies
- 2025
- 1,125
- #303 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −56%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,125 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 303 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 55.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11,863 in 2007. In 2025, Pennsylvania had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (71). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 168,745 as a first name in 2020; 13,096 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.
Gavin’s family of names
In English usage, Gavin has a short form in GAV. Gavin has a feminine form in Gavina. Gavin has a related form in Gaven.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gavin has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Celtic roots to each of them.
8 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Gavin
- Gavin Newsom40th governor of California since 2019born 1967
- Gavin McInnesCanadian far-right commentatorborn 1970
- Gavin HoodSouth African filmmaker (born 1963)
- Gavin WilliamsonBritish Conservative party politician (born 1976)
- Gavin McCannEnglish footballer (born 1978)
- Gavin HarrisonBritish drummerborn 1963
- Gavin RossdaleBritish musicianborn 1965
- Gavin MacLeodAmerican actor (1931–2021)
- Gavin DeGrawAmerican singerborn 1977
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gavin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tristan
Tristan is used as a given name and a surname. One Celtic interpretation is “a sorrowful man; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.”
98% boys · 2% girls
Wyn
“one who is fair; of the white wave” · “one who is fairskinned”
82% boys · 18% girls
Hector
“to hold; to overpower”
>99% boys
Percival
Percival is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
>99% boys
Oscar
“a spear of the gods” · “a friend of deer”
>99% boys
Tristram
“a sorrowful man”
>99% boys
Colin
“high” · “of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Connor
“lover of hounds” · “a wolf-lover”
>99% boys