The baby name Gavin begins with medieval adventure, and doesn’t slow down one bit as it confidently strides into the twenty-first century.
Thanks to Emmy Jo for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
THE MEANING OF THE NAME GAVIN
The baby name Gavin started out as Gawain. We know him from tales of Camelot. But what does the name Gavin mean?
It’s a Welsh name, and it’s probably cousin to Gwalchmai. That name appears in traditional Welsh tales, and a court poet answered to Gwalchmai ap Mielyr during the 1100s.
Gwalch means hawk; the second element could refer to a field or possibly the month of May. There are other possible origins and meanings, including the name Gwalchgwyn, meaning hawk and fair.
The most likely meaning of baby name Gavin is hawk; and white hawk isn’t an impossible stretch.
SIR GAWAIN
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. In 2021, Dev Patel played part of Gawain in The Green Knight.
It’s a story we keep revisiting.
As for the name, Gawain became Gauvain in Chrétien de Troyes’ accounts of the Round Table. It’s a short leap from Gauvain to Gavin in English.
GABIN and GAVINO
Or maybe the name is older still.
The Roman family name Gabinus comes from Gabii, an ancient city east of Rome.
There’s a thirteenth century Saint Gabinus, from Sardinia. Legend says Gavino started out a Roman soldier, converted to Christianity, and died a martyr for his faith.
There’s no connection between Gabinus and Gavin, but Gabinus became Gabin in French and Gavino in Italian. That seems quite close to Gavin, too.
It also occurs as a surname with various possible origins and meanings, though in every case, Gavin is a slimmed-down version of a longer name.
GAVIN IN THE 19th CENTURY
Many medieval names, especially from famous stories, have been rediscovered and revived across the years.
The baby name Gavin is among them.
A handful of uses in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries include Sir Gavin de Beer, director of the British Museum of Natural History, 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.)
Factor in plenty of athletes, politicians, and other notables, and the baby name Gavin must have been familiar, if uncommon, in most of the English-speaking world. It seems particularly popular in Scotland during the era.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME GAVIN?
Gawain has never been used in the US in big numbers, but the baby name Gavin charted caught on starting in the 1950s.
Actor Gavin MacLeod (born Allan George See) is one possible influence. 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.
Instead, the baby name Gavin debuted in the US data in 1913, with five boys receiving the name. By 1954, it debuted in the US Top 1000 at #830.
It was the right moment for such names. Brian, Jason, Ryan and Brendan were all on the rise. Chances are that Gavin was just waiting to be discovered.
The baby name Gavin gained steadily, entering the US Top 500 in 1974, the Top 250 in 1995, and peaking at #30 in 2008.
At its peak, the name appeared in the Top Ten of Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. It was at least as popular elsewhere in the English-speaking world, peaking even sooner – as early as the 1970s in Scotland.
As of 2023, Gavin ranks a modest #231.
While it’s falling in use, it remains a familiar possibility, about as common as Oscar, Patrick, Grant, or Simon.
FAMOUS GAVINS
Several Gavins feature in the headlines now.
There’s Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush. (And, with Gwen Stefani, parent to Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo.)
San Francisco mayor turned California governor Gavin Newsom is a familiar figure in national politics.
Dozens more come to mind, from Rooster Teeth’s Gavin Free to one of the main characters in British sitcom Gavin & Stacey.
POLISHED and STRONG
Like Evan and Colin, Gavin caught on early in the two-syllable, ends-with-N era. Combined with so much history, that’s likely why the baby name Gavin feels traditional rather than trendy.
Overall, Gavin feels like a handsome name with plenty of polish. And those roots in tales of medieval bravery lend the name plenty of strength, too.
What do you think of the baby name Gavin?
First published on March 2, 2009, this post was revised on August 11, 2024.
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.