Total births
161,414
Boys' name · since 1880
Alvin
161,414 babies named Alvin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1927. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #791
- among boys today
- 161,414
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Alvin currently ranks #791 among boys' names in America, with 161,414 babies recorded since 1880.
Alvin has 161,414 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #791 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #791 among boys today
- 161,414 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alvin is currently the #791 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 161,414 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #791
- among boys today
- 161,414
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Alvin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#791
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Alvin was born in this single decade.
1927
Single peak year
2,883 babies were named Alvin in 1927 - its busiest year on record.
How Alvin compares
161,414 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alvin's all-time total is 440x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alvin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 161,414 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,883 | 23 | 22,252 |
Alvin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alvin's full recorded timeline at 1953, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 102 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1927 peak of 2,883 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alvin at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1927
Current rank
#791
Active since
1880
Alvin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1927)
- 2,883
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alvin popularity over time - girls
1,098 total births recorded since 1908 (Alvin as girls' name)
Alvin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Alvin's strongest decade.
26,872 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Alvin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,256
1880s
1,256 births
- 1890s 1,667
1890s
1,667 births
- 1900s 2,484
1900s
2,484 births
- 1910s
1910s
15,499 births
- 1920s
1920s
26,872 births
- 1930s
1930s
21,484 births
- 1940s
1940s
20,719 births
- 1950s
1950s
23,087 births
- 1960s
1960s
14,509 births
- 1970s 8,677
1970s
8,677 births
- 1980s 7,474
1980s
7,474 births
- 1990s 5,908
1990s
5,908 births
- 2000s 5,240
2000s
5,240 births
- 2010s 4,535
2010s
4,535 births
- 2020s 2,003
2020s
2,003 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 26,872 births (17% of all-time use).
How Alvin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Alvin's total volume
Alvin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Alvin by state
Where Alvin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 11,361 | 7.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 10,175 | 6.3% |
| #3 | California | | 9,489 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 9,121 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 7,128 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 6,518 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 6,450 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 5,377 | 3.3% |
Texas share of Alvin's total US births 7.0%
Even split
11,361 of 161,414 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alvin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alvin? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 161,414 babies named Alvin. Today it holds rank #791 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1927, with 2,883 births.
When was Alvin most popular? ▼
Alvin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 26,872 total births. The single peak year was 1927.
Where is Alvin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alvin are Texas (11,361 births), New York (10,175 births), California (9,489 births).
How long has the name Alvin been used? ▼
Alvin has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Alvin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alvaro, Alva, Alvis, Alvie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Alvin's data
- Alvin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (26,872 total births); usage has since declined to 2,003 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Alvins (11,361 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alvin
Nearby Names Like Alvin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alvin
Alvaro Boy
#769 17,357 births
Alva Boy
#8988 11,269 births
Alvis Boy
#6479 5,206 births
Alvie Boy
#10941 4,094 births
Alvah Boy
#12352 1,808 births
Compare Alvin side by side: Alvin vs Alvaro Alvin vs Alva Alvin vs Alvis
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alvin
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alvin: #791 Boys' Name - 161,414 Births, Peak 1927." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alvin. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alvin draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.