Alvin
Alvin was given to 294 boys in 2025, #838 among boys’ names; 162,512 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 71,100 Americans named Alvin and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (44% of everyone recorded); the median is 60 years old and half are between 37 and 72.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Alvin by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Alvin mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Alvin is “a male given name from Old English.” Its etymology gives the senses “elf” (ælf) and “friend” (wine).
From Old English Ælfwine, made up of ælf (“elf”) + wine (“friend”).
/ˈælvɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Alvin?
#838 among boys’ names, 2025
Alvin fell from #601 in 2015 to #838 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.24 to 0.17 per 1,000.
2,908 babies in 1927, the peak
Alvin peaked in 1927, when 2,908 babies were given it (2,883 boys, #66 among boys’ names). The 294 births of 2025 are 10% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 294 | #838 | 0.17 |
| 2024 | 318 | #791 | 0.18 |
| 2023 | 337 | #765 | 0.20 |
| 2022 | 352 | #737 | 0.20 |
| 2021 | 325 | #770 | 0.19 |
| 2020 | 377 | #682 | 0.22 |
| 2019 | 399 | #663 | 0.22 |
| 2018 | 390 | #655 | 0.21 |
| 2017 | 439 | #603 | 0.24 |
| 2016 | 471 | #585 | 0.25 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 455 | #601 | 0.24 |
| 2014 | 462 | #595 | 0.24 |
| 2013 | 458 | #570 | 0.24 |
| 2012 | 505 | #521 | 0.27 |
| 2011 | 464 | #548 | 0.24 |
| 2010 | 492 | #526 | 0.26 |
| 2009 | 471 | #562 | 0.24 |
| 2008 | 658 | #436 | 0.32 |
| 2007 | 522 | #505 | 0.25 |
| 2006 | 516 | #503 | 0.25 |
| 2005 | 516 | #483 | 0.26 |
| 2004 | 484 | #505 | 0.24 |
| 2003 | 477 | #510 | 0.24 |
| 2002 | 533 | #457 | 0.27 |
| 2001 | 541 | #447 | 0.28 |
| 2000 | 522 | #456 | 0.27 |
| 1999 | 520 | #443 | 0.27 |
| 1998 | 521 | #440 | 0.27 |
| 1997 | 541 | #424 | 0.29 |
| 1996 | 499 | #450 | 0.26 |
| 1995 | 548 | #415 | 0.29 |
| 1994 | 556 | #409 | 0.29 |
| 1993 | 648 | #364 | 0.33 |
| 1992 | 633 | #369 | 0.32 |
| 1991 | 693 | #350 | 0.34 |
| 1990 | 749 | #331 | 0.36 |
| 1989 | 823 | #297 | 0.41 |
| 1988 | 688 | #317 | 0.36 |
| 1987 | 729 | #294 | 0.39 |
| 1986 | 676 | #301 | 0.37 |
| 1985 | 705 | #291 | 0.38 |
| 1984 | 690 | #295 | 0.38 |
| 1983 | 706 | #289 | 0.39 |
| 1982 | 783 | #270 | 0.43 |
| 1981 | 806 | #270 | 0.45 |
| 1980 | 868 | #254 | 0.49 |
| 1979 | 815 | #259 | 0.47 |
| 1978 | 800 | #252 | 0.49 |
| 1977 | 762 | #259 | 0.46 |
| 1976 | 766 | #257 | 0.49 |
| 1975 | 856 | #240 | 0.55 |
| 1974 | 811 | #247 | 0.52 |
| 1973 | 870 | #241 | 0.56 |
| 1972 | 881 | #243 | 0.54 |
| 1971 | 1,029 | #230 | 0.58 |
| 1970 | 1,087 | #223 | 0.58 |
| 1969 | 1,060 | #221 | 0.59 |
| 1968 | 1,112 | #209 | 0.64 |
| 1967 | 1,225 | #193 | 0.70 |
| 1966 | 1,239 | #196 | 0.69 |
| 1965 | 1,328 | #190 | 0.71 |
| 1964 | 1,459 | #195 | 0.73 |
| 1963 | 1,503 | #197 | 0.74 |
| 1962 | 1,711 | #177 | 0.83 |
| 1961 | 1,877 | #168 | 0.88 |
| 1960 | 1,995 | #166 | 0.94 |
| 1959 | 2,261 | #153 | 1.1 |
| 1958 | 2,180 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1957 | 2,388 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1956 | 2,431 | #134 | 1.1 |
| 1955 | 2,360 | #134 | 1.1 |
| 1954 | 2,367 | #135 | 1.2 |
| 1953 | 2,110 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1952 | 2,336 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1951 | 2,385 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1950 | 2,269 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1949 | 2,158 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1948 | 2,270 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1947 | 2,215 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1946 | 2,047 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1945 | 1,861 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1944 | 1,967 | #115 | 1.4 |
| 1943 | 2,203 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1942 | 2,071 | #115 | 1.5 |
| 1941 | 2,016 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1940 | 1,911 | #106 | 1.6 |
| 1939 | 1,940 | #103 | 1.8 |
| 1938 | 2,063 | #98 | 1.9 |
| 1937 | 1,986 | #99 | 1.9 |
| 1936 | 1,970 | #96 | 1.9 |
| 1935 | 2,165 | #91 | 2.1 |
| 1934 | 2,147 | #93 | 2.1 |
| 1933 | 2,128 | #88 | 2.1 |
| 1932 | 2,274 | #87 | 2.2 |
| 1931 | 2,299 | #80 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,512 | #79 | 2.3 |
| 1929 | 2,555 | #77 | 2.4 |
| 1928 | 2,750 | #72 | 2.5 |
| 1927 | 2,883 | #66 | 2.6 |
| 1926 | 2,693 | #72 | 2.4 |
| 1925 | 2,777 | #70 | 2.5 |
| 1924 | 2,759 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1923 | 2,647 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1922 | 2,599 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1921 | 2,686 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1920 | 2,523 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1919 | 2,383 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1918 | 2,409 | #80 | 2.4 |
| 1917 | 2,142 | #81 | 2.3 |
| 1916 | 2,093 | #82 | 2.4 |
| 1915 | 2,006 | #81 | 2.4 |
| 1914 | 1,532 | #78 | 2.3 |
| 1913 | 1,144 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1912 | 929 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1911 | 460 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1910 | 401 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1909 | 363 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1908 | 307 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1907 | 245 | #99 | 1.7 |
| 1906 | 239 | #95 | 1.8 |
| 1905 | 258 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1904 | 247 | #88 | 1.9 |
| 1903 | 222 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1902 | 201 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1901 | 179 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 1900 | 223 | #105 | 1.5 |
| 1899 | 173 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1898 | 184 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1897 | 186 | #97 | 1.6 |
| 1896 | 183 | #102 | 1.5 |
| 1895 | 179 | #103 | 1.5 |
| 1894 | 167 | #108 | 1.4 |
| 1893 | 163 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1892 | 164 | #109 | 1.3 |
| 1891 | 121 | #115 | 1.2 |
| 1890 | 147 | #112 | 1.3 |
| 1889 | 137 | #113 | 1.2 |
| 1888 | 157 | #106 | 1.3 |
| 1887 | 128 | #107 | 1.3 |
| 1886 | 112 | #123 | 1.0 |
| 1885 | 125 | #111 | 1.2 |
| 1884 | 145 | #106 | 1.3 |
| 1883 | 113 | #113 | 1.1 |
| 1882 | 132 | #113 | 1.2 |
| 1881 | 105 | #115 | 1.0 |
| 1880 | 102 | #132 | 0.92 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Alvin a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Alvin has been given almost only to boys: 1,098 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Alvin: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Alvin, and how old are they?
71,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 44% of the 162,512 Americans ever recorded as Alvin. The median Alvin alive today is 60 years old; half are between 37 and 72.
The 2020 Census counted 72,962 people named Alvin (207 women and girls, 72,755 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 80,264 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,140 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 26,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 13,700 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 10,500 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,140 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 5,040 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Alvin born?
The states with the most babies named Alvin are Texas, New York and California, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 11,372 | #1,416 | 1.1× |
| New York | 10,175 | #545 | 0.8× |
| California | 9,489 | #627 | 0.9× |
| Louisiana | 9,126 | #778 | 2.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 7,128 | #458 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 6,518 | #940 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 6,450 | #795 | 1.4× |
| Virginia | 5,377 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Michigan | 5,336 | #1,004 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 5,314 | #1,147 | 1.1× |
Where Alvin is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Alvin is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 2.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Alvin with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 6 names spelled alike, given to 185,439 babies since 1880, Alvin is the most given (88% of them). In 2025 it was given to 294 of their 396 babies (74%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Alvin
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Alvin and names like it
- Compare Alvin and ElvinBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sAlvin peaked in 1927.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Alvin since 1910.
- Old English namesWiktionary’s origin for Alvin: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1927The year the most babies were named Alvin.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Alvin alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with AMost given first.