Alvin
Alvin was the 838th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 294 babies. Its best year was 1927, when it ranked 66th with 2,883 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 237 places. More babies were named Alvin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning elf friend · Old English
Say it AL-vin /ˈælvɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #838 boys, down 156 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 294boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19272,883 babies
- Total since 1880
- 162,512babies recorded
What does the name Alvin mean?
Alvin comes from Old English Ælfwine, made of ælf 'elf, supernatural being' and wine 'friend'. The Old English name survived the Norman Conquest as Alwin, Aylwin and similar forms, and Alvin is a later spelling. In practice medieval Alwin also absorbed other Old English names such as Æthelwine 'noble friend' and Ealdwine 'old friend', so a given family's name may come from any of them. Known modern bearers include the dancer Alvin Ailey.
ælf (Old English, “elf”)wine (Old English, “friend”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several Old English names with different first elements fell together as Alwin/Alvin.
Related names: Alwin, Aylwin, Elvin.
See also: English names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alvin', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ælfwine', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Alvin
The usual nicknames for Alvin are Al. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Alvin in the last five years, 4 were named Al, against 7 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al · also for Alistair, Alexander, Alan | Traditional | #6,822 | 59 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Alvins go by each one.
Alvin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,098 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #838 | 294 |
| 2020 | #682 | 377 |
| 2010 | #526 | 492 |
| 2000 | #456 | 522 |
| 1990 | #331 | 749 |
| 1980 | #254 | 868 |
| 1970 | #223 | 1,087 |
| 1960 | #166 | 1,995 |
| 1950 | #121 | 2,269 |
| 1940 | #106 | 1,911 |
| 1930 | #79 | 2,512 |
| 1920 | #76 | 2,523 |
| 1910 | #85 | 401 |
| 1900 | #105 | 223 |
| 1890 | #112 | 147 |
| 1880 | #132 | 102 |
How popular is Alvin, counting every spelling?
Alvin has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #814 for boys in 2025, against #838 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Alvin?
294 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alvin (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Alvin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 29 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alvin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alvin?
About 70,500 people born in the US named Alvin are alive today, with a median age of 60; half are between 37 and 72. That makes Alvin a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alvin by state
How common Alvin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (2.5×), Utah (2.1×), Wisconsin (1.8×), New York (1.7×), Massachusetts (1.5×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alvin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alvin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alvin · Sibling names for Alvin
Questions about the name Alvin
What does Alvin mean?
Alvin means “elf friend” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Alvin?
Alvin was the 838th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 294 babies. Its best year was 1927, when it ranked 66th with 2,883 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 237 places. More babies were named Alvin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Alvin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Alvin in the US.
Where is Alvin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alvin was most common in Pennsylvania (0.47 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Wisconsin.