Calvin
Calvin was the 132nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,710 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 44th with 4,918 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 39 places. More babies were named Calvin in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning little bald one · French, Latin
Say it KAL-vin /ˈkælvɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #132 boys, up 12 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,710boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19244,918 babies
- Total since 1880
- 222,287babies recorded
What does the name Calvin mean?
Calvin comes from the French surname Cauvin, a nickname for a bald man, from Latin calvus, 'bald'; DMNES and Wiktionary agree. Its Latin form Calvinus was used by the French reformer Jean Cauvin, known in English as John Calvin (1509 to 1564), and Wikipedia notes that the name was taken up by Protestants in his honor. Cal is the usual short form.
calvus (Latin, “bald”)Cauvin (Old French (Picard), “bald man”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Cal, Calvino, Kalvin.
See also: French names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Calvin', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Calvin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Calvin (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Calvin
The usual nicknames for Calvin are Cal. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Calvin in the last five years, 15 were named Cal, against 6 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal · also for Caleb, Callum, Callan | Traditional | #543 | 1,942 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Calvins go by each one.
Calvin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,223 since 1914, 7 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #132 | 2,710 |
| 2020 | #144 | 2,535 |
| 2010 | #215 | 1,662 |
| 2000 | #214 | 1,681 |
| 1990 | #173 | 1,783 |
| 1980 | #185 | 1,325 |
| 1970 | #166 | 1,734 |
| 1960 | #129 | 2,909 |
| 1950 | #105 | 2,742 |
| 1940 | #127 | 1,471 |
| 1930 | #111 | 1,618 |
| 1920 | #139 | 1,098 |
| 1910 | #153 | 201 |
| 1900 | #163 | 128 |
| 1890 | #124 | 116 |
| 1880 | #100 | 134 |
How popular is Calvin, counting every spelling?
Calvin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #134 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #132 for Calvin on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,819 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin | 2,710 | #132 | 12,884 |
| Kalvin | 109 | #1,567 | 548 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Calvin?
2,710 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Calvin (0.75 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Calvin 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Calvin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Calvin?
About 145,700 people born in the US named Calvin are alive today, with a median age of 38; half are between 15 and 64. That makes Calvin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. 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.
Calvin by state
How common Calvin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (4.2×), Maine (3.5×), New Hampshire (3.2×), Wyoming (3.1×), Utah (3.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, Hawaii, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Calvin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Calvin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Calvin · Sibling names for Calvin
Questions about the name Calvin
What does Calvin mean?
Calvin means “little bald one” (French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Calvin?
Calvin was the 132nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,710 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 44th with 4,918 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 39 places. More babies were named Calvin in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Calvin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Calvin in the US.
Where is Calvin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Calvin was most common in Vermont (6.21 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and New Hampshire.