Gavin: Name Meaning of Gavin in English for Baby Boy Names

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Gavin is a name destined for males and has a rich history. It has been around for a few centuries and has known periods of great popularity. Its peak popularity was achieved in 2008, where the name Gavin was given to 2,768 babies out of every million. It is currently sitting at #60 in the US Name Popularity chart and #56 in Canada.

The origin of the name goes back to medieval England, with the name Gawain which was quite a popular name among Scottish and Welsh children. The original version of the name has been traced back to Wales, in the form of Gwalchgwyn, meaning “white hawk”. In British history and culture, the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” also mentions the name and finds itself in close connection with King Arthur’s Round Table.

The name also shares some origins with the Italian (Latin) name Gavino, which dates back to ancient times. The oldest mention of the name is Saint Gavinus of Sardinia, an old Christian martyr and Roman Centurion which was decapitated in 300 A.D. The similarity of the meanings of the two origins is most striking, Welsh being “white hawk” and its Latin counterpart being “White Falcon”. The similarity adds more weight to the theory that the Celtic tribes adopted the name from the Romans.

Growth in popularity came mostly due to celebrities having this name and influencing ordinary people to name their babies after them. The most famous Gavins in latest times were:

• Gavin Christopher, US R&B singer and musician

• Gavin Ewart, British poet

• Gavin Free, English filmmaker

• Gavin Rae, Scottish footballer

• Gavin Richards, Actor

While the name cannot brag with big-name celebrities or a great positive trend in recent years, it most certainly has a very interesting history and is most certainly a rather special name. The chances that two Gavins share the same room are fairly slim. Due to the recent decrease in popularity, you can safely expect that it will only become rarer in the following decades.