Given name
Gawaine
“a little white falcon”
Gawaine is a variant of Gavin. One Welsh interpretation is “a little white falcon.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Gawaine is a variant of Gavin. One Welsh interpretation is “a little white falcon.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Gawaine is a variant of Gavin. A possible origin is Celtic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1951. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Gawaine is a variant of Gavin. The history of Gavin gives this family its wider story. Gavin’s literary history includes the stories of King Arthur and his knights.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Gawaine through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1951
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1951. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gawaine’s family of names
Gawaine has a related form in Gavin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Gawaine, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Purcell
Purcell is a variant of Percival. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
>99% boys
Hal
“the ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% boys
Gawayn
“a little white falcon”
—
Gawin
“a little white falcon”
93% boys · 7% girls
Gawen
“a little white falcon”
>99% boys
Gaveinah
“resembling the white falcon; woman from Gabio”
—
Gavynah
“resembling the white falcon; woman from Gabio”
—
Gaveina
“resembling the white falcon; woman from Gabio”
—