US rank #791 Boys' name Peak 1927 161,108 births

Alvin — #791 US boys' name

161,108 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.

1880s12561890s16671900s24841910s154991920s268721930s214841940s207191950s230871960s145091970s86771980s74761990s59082000s52352010s45282020s1707
#791
of 14,243 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.

What the Data Says About Alvin

The Social Security Administration has registered 161,108 babies named Alvin between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Alvin currently holds the #791 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1927, when 2,883 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Alvin performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 26,872 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Alvin shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 11,348 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Alvin in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Alvin in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 161,108 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Alvin at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

161,108

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1927

2,883 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#791

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Alvin popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1927)
2,883
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 102

Alvin popularity over time — girls

1,098 total births recorded since 1908 (Alvin as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,098 births
010203040 199419811970195919481937192619151908 5

Alvin by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
26,872 births that decade — 17% of Alvin's all-time total
1880s12561890s16671900s24841910s154991920s268721930s214841940s207191950s230871960s145091970s86771980s74761990s59082000s52352010s45282020s1707

Alvin by state

Where Alvin concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Alvin
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
11,348 7.0%
#2 New York
10,145 6.3%
#3 California
9,444 5.9%
#4 Louisiana
9,116 5.7%
#5 Pennsylvania
7,105 4.4%
#6 Illinois
6,510 4.0%
#7 Georgia
6,439 4.0%
#8 Virginia
5,377 3.3%
Texas share of Alvin's total US births 7.0%
Even split

11,348 of 161,108 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?
161,108 babies have been named Alvin since 1880. It currently ranks #791 among boys. The peak year 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 (11,348 births), New York (10,145 births), California (9,444 births).
How long has the name Alvin been used?
Alvin has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Alvin

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.