boy's name
Calvin
KAL-vin
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 237,678
the United States
#133
2025 births
Calvin is a boy's name of French origin meaning "little bald one," from the Latin calvus, bald. It became a given name entirely through the theologian John Calvin, whose surname was itself a Latinised form of Cauvin.
- Calvin is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 4,940 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 1,220 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Calvin over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,236 |
| 1890s | 1,102 |
| 1900s | 1,291 |
| 1910s | 5,744 |
| 1920s | 24,948 |
| 1930s | 14,284 |
| 1940s | 19,339 |
| 1950s | 30,741 |
| 1960s | 22,103 |
| 1970s | 13,978 |
| 1980s | 15,939 |
| 1990s | 16,899 |
| 2000s | 16,128 |
| 2010s | 23,105 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 15,450 |
What Calvin means
Calvin means little bald one, from the Latin calvus with a diminutive ending. It began as an unflattering physical byname, in the same family as Cameron and Campbell.
Where Calvin comes from
Calvin comes from the French surname Cauvin or Chauvin, from the Latin calvus, meaning bald, with a diminutive suffix. Jean Cauvin, the sixteenth-century Picard reformer, Latinised his name as Calvinus for scholarly publication, and Calvin is the English form of that. His theological system shaped the Reformed churches across Switzerland, Scotland, the Netherlands and New England, and Protestant families began using Calvin as a given name in his honor. Calvin Coolidge is its best-known American bearer, and the same French root also produced chauvinism, from a different Chauvin.
Calvin in use
Calvin and chauvinism come from the same French surname root, by two entirely separate people.
How popular is Calvin?
In 2025, Calvin was given to 2,717 babies in the United States, ranking #133 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Calvin is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Calvin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Calvin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Calvin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Calvin
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Calvin in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Kalvin
Sibling names for Calvin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Calvin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Calvin
What does the name Calvin mean?
Calvin means "little bald one," from the Latin calvus.
Is Calvin named after John Calvin?
Its use as a given name comes entirely from the theologian, whose surname was Cauvin.
What are nicknames for Calvin?
Cal and Vin are the most common short forms.
How popular is the name Calvin?
In 2025, Calvin was given to 2,717 babies in the United States, ranking #133 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Calvin a girl's or a boy's name?
Calvin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Calvin?
Calvin has 2 syllables.
When was Calvin most popular?
Calvin peaked in 1924, when 4,940 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Calvin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Calvin currently ranks #133 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.