In the 1970s, he capably captained the Pacific Princess. But he’s been an adventurer for centuries and has taken on a measure of cowboy cool in recent years.
Thanks to Emmy Jo for suggesting Gavin as Name of the Day.
Most nameniks know that Gavin comes from the medieval Gawain, he of the Round Table. Trace him back a little farther and he’s probably linked to Gwalchmai, Gwalchmei or possibly Gwalchgwyn. We know Gwalchmai and variants were in use in the 1100s because a famous court poet wore the name, and passed it on to his sons. The name also appears throughout traditional Welsh tales.
As for Gawain, he’s among the most famous of the Arthurian knights. The 14th century tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight recounts his adventures lopping off heads, flirting with beautiful women and ultimately cheating death. Some read it as a simple tale of derring-do, but it has been much interpreted by scholars aplenty. The story inspired a 1978 opera and at least three film adaptations, including a 1984 version featuring Sean Connery as the Green Knight.
Gawain has never been revived in the US, but Gavin charted here starting in the 1950s. It’s tempting to link the name’s rise to the career of actor Gavin MacLeod (born Allan George See), but the name was already rising by the time MacLeod’s roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Love Boat cemented his fame in the 70s.
In fact, Gavin has been used sparingly since the nineteenth century. It seems logical that the Victorians would revive him, what with their love of historical and legendary appellations. Sir Gavin de Beer, future director of the British Museum of Natural History, was born in 1899; JM Barrie’s novel-turned-play The Little Minister about cleric Gavin Dishart was written in 1891. (And became a movie co-starring Katharine Hepburn in 1934.)
By the 1950s, two-syllable, ends-in-n names for boys were just starting to gain in popularity. Brian, Jason, Ryan and Brendan were all on the rise. Odds are that Gavin had been lurking in baby name books for decades, just waiting to be discovered.
A handful of famous Gavins today includes musician Gavin Rossdale, father to Kingston and Zuma; San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome and a handful of athletes. It is also a surname worn by actor John Gavin (he would’ve played James Bond, but Sean Connery returned to the role) and distinguished World War II General James Gavin.
Today, Gavin charts at #32 in the US as of 2007 – his highest rank yet. But this is one of those names that fares far better in certain parts of the country:
- In Wyoming, he’s #3, second only to Ethan (#1) and James (#2);
- In South Dakota, he’s #4, while Ethan again holds the top spot;
- He’s #6 in North Dakota (where Logan is #1) and also #6 in Iowa (again, Ethan is #1);
- And Gavin comes in at #9 in Minnesota, where Jacob is most popular.
His heavy use in the Western states lends Gavin a certain cowboy cachet – and highlights the style divide between different parts of the country.
Overall, Gavin emerges as a sensible choice. He’s got plenty of history and dash without being at all unfamiliar.
I looked up this name, as two out of 14 kids in my son’s preschool class are named Gavin! I had no idea it was as popular as that, maybe because I find it so boring and had never noticed its place in the rankings. There’s also a Tesla and an Urban!
I know a Gavin; he’s a sweet little boy in my church. I don’t know him well; he isn’t old enough to be in the group I work with in Vacation Bible School, but I know his older brother Logan quite well and he’s one of my favorite kids in the world, so my main association is very positive. They also have a soon-to-be-born younger brother, tentatively named Aidan, though I’m not sure about the spelling. I think Gavin lucked out and got the best name of the three. Logan sounds wimpy to me and Aidan is so overdone, but Gavin, though trendy, is charmingly medieval. I love the Gawain association.
I may also be influenced by a dear friend of mine who is absolutely in love with the name and dying to use it. Her fiance likes showy, somewhat eccentric Biblical names, like Zechariah and Ezekiel, but she’s all about the two-syllable, ends-in-n crowd, though her tastes aren’t as awful as some. I sometimes how they are ever going to come to an agreement regarding their children’s names. 😀
My apologies, Emmy Jo!
You’re absolutely right that Gawain was your suggestion, not the watered-down Gavin! (Sorry – I deleted it from the draft at some point – probably while agonizing over the Gwalchmai connection – and never put it back in!)
As for GOW in versus ga WAYN? I think you’d get ga WAYN. And, of course, the unrelated Wayne has done well in the 20th century. But you’d be fighting an uphill battle to get GOW in to catch on. Then again, Gawain is so rare maybe you’d get away with it. Because GOW in seems inspired. 🙂
Here in DC, I don’t think I’ve met a Gavin. Ever. I knew one growing up in Eastern PA, so there’s at least one 30-something Gavin out there. (Okay, more than one. Statistics and all that. And Nessa and Lola, you seem to know a bunch!)
JNE, you’re right about Gavin/Kevin. That’s probably a big part of his popularity.
Allison, I thought the EXACT SAME THING while watching that ep! I watched it in a re-run, though, so I haven’t mentioned it here. But yes, there is a Beatles connection to Astrid, but I can’t recall it … let’s make Astrid NotD on 4/16 and I’ll go find out. 🙂
Do you have Astrid on your list for NOTD? I was watching “The Office” last week and was delighted to see that was the name Jan gave her baby. Wasn’t that the name of the German photographer who was Pete Best’s girlfriend? Or was it Stuart Sutcliffe? Either way, what a cool name.
Why bring Vegemite into it, Sarah? 😉
Emmy Jo, Gawain is definitely more inspired than Gavin, but I think you’re probably right, ga WAYN is more likely the first-guess pronunciation of most (including me)… However, I think that the sound of GOW in is not difficult, so once you let someone know that’s the way to say it, it wouldn’t be a stuggle to pronounce. I must say, GOW in is far more appealing to my ears than ga WAYN. But, there’d likely be a whole lot of pronunciation coaching in your and your child’s future if used.
What?!?!
I had no idea that Gavin was popular again! I don’t know how it sounds to you USA-ers but here in Australia I doubt wether or not he will make it into the ranks any time soon.
For me Gavin might possibly have gone to school with Barry, Roy and Bruce and dated Sandra, Sue and Rhonda. Not so ‘Now’.
But we Australians like Vegemite and you USA-ers don’t quite get that either.
I completely agree with Cat as well. I know three Gavins, one in his 20s, and the other two are pre-school age. 20 year old Gavin seems much more inspired.
In my defense, it was Gawain that I suggested for Name of the Day. 🙂
The first time I heard the name Gavin was on one of my college friends. Its current popularity is a bit off-putting. Still, since I’m familiar with its medieval roots, it retains some of its appeal. Same thing with Caleb — to me, he’s the brave biblical spy, and not simply the choice of the so-called “Walmart set.” Our opinions of names have so much to do with our first associations. Part of this might be geographic as well — both names are significantly less popular in California (where I live) than nationally, and when I first started liking Caleb, he wasn’t even in the top 100 for my state. Connor, on the other hand, is very bland to me. But who knows — if I were a big-time Irish history buff, maybe it would feel like a meaningful choice instead of the name everyone else is choosing.
I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in college — in the original Middle English. It’s a great story. That got me thinking about the usability of Gawain as a name. We always pronounced it GOW-in in my college classes, but I worry most people would want to say ga-WAYN.
If our last name didn’t start with a G, I just might be pushing for Gawain or Gareth for one of our sons! As it stands, my husband hates alliterative names, so they’re both out.
I’m with Cat on all points. Connor, Caleb and Gavin are big yucks.
I dislike Gavin. I find it new-agey and tepid. It reminds me of Connor and Caleb in feel, just bland.
I more or less agree with JNE.
Don’t know any Gavins here in NC and I am neutral to positive on the name. My first association was Gavin Rossdale, too. There’s also mildly popular Gavin Degraw in the music industry. Gavin and Kevin are similar sounds for me. And I’m not a huge fan of Kevin. It’s fine. Not exciting. Gavin has a great origination, but it just doesn’t retain it entirely in my opinion. It’s fine, but not thrilling.
I don’t mind Gavin nearly as much now that I’m away from the NJ/SI area. I know at least 7 Gavins between the ages of 10 and 3 persionally and probably a few more by assocation! I was getting tired of Gavin until I moved. Now I never hear Gavin and I can easily see his charm again. He’s strong, handsome and easy on the eyes. He’s got that snappy “v’ right there in the middle and a solid sound. Funny, I immediately went to Gavin Rossdale but forgot about Gavin MacLeod. And My siblings & I watched “Love Boat” probably more than anything as preteens (I was the one that preferred “Fantasy Island”). Gavin’s a bit trendy for me, personally but I don’t mind him on anyone else’s boy. Pretty snazzy, Gavin is. 😀
This is another that used to be my favorite, right around the same time as Brendan. I had a huge crush on Gavin Rossdale back when Bush was popular. Then I lived in San Francisco, and Gavin Newsom is super hot. But then, I worked at a preschool and there were 3 Gavins, two of them were the two absolute worst behaved kids in the school, and the other was just really weird. So, that really puts a damper on the name, for me. Which is a shame, because I really love the sound and feel of it. It’s not cowboy at all, too me. It’s sexy rockstar.