Calvin
Calvin was given to 2,710 boys in 2025, #132 among boys’ names; 222,287 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 147,000 Americans named Calvin and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (66% of everyone recorded); the median is 38 years old and half are between 16 and 64.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Calvin by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Calvin mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Calvin is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “bald” (chauve).
Latinization of Norman-Picard Cauvin, a nickname for a chauve (“bald”) person.
/ˈkælvɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Calvin?
#132 among boys’ names, 2025
Calvin rose from #171 in 2015 to #132 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 1.3 to 1.6 per 1,000.
4,940 babies in 1924, the peak
Calvin peaked in 1924, when 4,940 babies were given it (4,918 boys, #44 among boys’ names). The 2,717 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 55% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,710 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 2024 | 2,577 | #140 | 1.5 |
| 2023 | 2,411 | #152 | 1.4 |
| 2022 | 2,593 | #148 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | 2,593 | #145 | 1.5 |
| 2020 | 2,535 | #144 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | 2,647 | #145 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | 2,761 | #144 | 1.5 |
| 2017 | 2,703 | #146 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | 2,795 | #149 | 1.5 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,439 | #171 | 1.3 |
| 2014 | 2,337 | #182 | 1.2 |
| 2013 | 2,066 | #195 | 1.1 |
| 2012 | 1,966 | #189 | 1.0 |
| 2011 | 1,709 | #208 | 0.90 |
| 2010 | 1,662 | #215 | 0.87 |
| 2009 | 1,578 | #231 | 0.80 |
| 2008 | 1,630 | #227 | 0.80 |
| 2007 | 1,618 | #229 | 0.78 |
| 2006 | 1,648 | #220 | 0.80 |
| 2005 | 1,619 | #219 | 0.81 |
| 2004 | 1,597 | #219 | 0.80 |
| 2003 | 1,566 | #223 | 0.79 |
| 2002 | 1,561 | #221 | 0.80 |
| 2001 | 1,613 | #215 | 0.83 |
| 2000 | 1,681 | #214 | 0.86 |
| 1999 | 1,622 | #212 | 0.84 |
| 1998 | 1,639 | #203 | 0.86 |
| 1997 | 1,707 | #192 | 0.91 |
| 1996 | 1,759 | #183 | 0.93 |
| 1995 | 1,720 | #181 | 0.90 |
| 1994 | 1,566 | #195 | 0.81 |
| 1993 | 1,746 | #185 | 0.89 |
| 1992 | 1,614 | #194 | 0.81 |
| 1991 | 1,709 | #189 | 0.85 |
| 1990 | 1,783 | #173 | 0.87 |
| 1989 | 1,870 | #161 | 0.93 |
| 1988 | 1,811 | #152 | 0.95 |
| 1987 | 1,790 | #157 | 1.0 |
| 1986 | 1,665 | #162 | 0.90 |
| 1985 | 1,520 | #177 | 0.82 |
| 1984 | 1,440 | #177 | 0.80 |
| 1983 | 1,429 | #180 | 0.80 |
| 1982 | 1,477 | #176 | 0.81 |
| 1981 | 1,458 | #172 | 0.81 |
| 1980 | 1,325 | #185 | 0.74 |
| 1979 | 1,334 | #181 | 0.77 |
| 1978 | 1,261 | #187 | 0.77 |
| 1977 | 1,285 | #179 | 0.78 |
| 1976 | 1,229 | #184 | 0.78 |
| 1975 | 1,283 | #178 | 0.82 |
| 1974 | 1,295 | #177 | 0.82 |
| 1973 | 1,350 | #173 | 0.87 |
| 1972 | 1,448 | #172 | 0.89 |
| 1971 | 1,590 | #169 | 0.90 |
| 1970 | 1,734 | #166 | 0.93 |
| 1969 | 1,707 | #163 | 1.0 |
| 1968 | 1,757 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1967 | 1,782 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1966 | 1,760 | #159 | 1.0 |
| 1965 | 2,045 | #153 | 1.1 |
| 1964 | 2,251 | #145 | 1.1 |
| 1963 | 2,407 | #140 | 1.2 |
| 1962 | 2,404 | #144 | 1.2 |
| 1961 | 2,867 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1960 | 2,909 | #129 | 1.4 |
| 1959 | 3,033 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 1958 | 3,119 | #123 | 1.5 |
| 1957 | 3,395 | #114 | 1.6 |
| 1956 | 3,346 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 1955 | 3,149 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1954 | 3,006 | #117 | 1.5 |
| 1953 | 2,951 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1952 | 2,971 | #108 | 1.5 |
| 1951 | 2,843 | #106 | 1.5 |
| 1950 | 2,742 | #105 | 1.5 |
| 1949 | 2,567 | #112 | 1.4 |
| 1948 | 2,399 | #117 | 1.4 |
| 1947 | 2,433 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1946 | 1,975 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1945 | 1,797 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1944 | 1,751 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1943 | 1,760 | #126 | 1.2 |
| 1942 | 1,578 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1941 | 1,511 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1940 | 1,471 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1939 | 1,394 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1938 | 1,454 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1937 | 1,333 | #125 | 1.2 |
| 1936 | 1,352 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1935 | 1,321 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1934 | 1,319 | #128 | 1.3 |
| 1933 | 1,489 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1932 | 1,454 | #119 | 1.4 |
| 1931 | 1,443 | #119 | 1.4 |
| 1930 | 1,618 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1929 | 1,665 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1928 | 2,128 | #94 | 1.9 |
| 1927 | 2,694 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1926 | 3,014 | #65 | 2.7 |
| 1925 | 4,302 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1924 | 4,918 | #44 | 4.3 |
| 1923 | 2,408 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1922 | 1,282 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1921 | 1,276 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1920 | 1,098 | #139 | 1.0 |
| 1919 | 834 | #163 | 0.85 |
| 1918 | 874 | #158 | 0.86 |
| 1917 | 785 | #160 | 0.85 |
| 1916 | 766 | #157 | 0.86 |
| 1915 | 694 | #166 | 0.82 |
| 1914 | 531 | #168 | 0.81 |
| 1913 | 440 | #160 | 0.86 |
| 1912 | 375 | #157 | 0.87 |
| 1911 | 213 | #157 | 0.94 |
| 1910 | 201 | #153 | 1.0 |
| 1909 | 176 | #146 | 1.1 |
| 1908 | 135 | #169 | 0.87 |
| 1907 | 136 | #161 | 0.93 |
| 1906 | 123 | #160 | 0.92 |
| 1905 | 141 | #148 | 1.1 |
| 1904 | 118 | #160 | 0.92 |
| 1903 | 106 | #163 | 0.89 |
| 1902 | 130 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1901 | 98 | #157 | 0.92 |
| 1900 | 128 | #163 | 0.85 |
| 1899 | 108 | #143 | 1.0 |
| 1898 | 121 | #143 | 1.0 |
| 1897 | 103 | #152 | 0.91 |
| 1896 | 98 | #163 | 0.82 |
| 1895 | 130 | #130 | 1.1 |
| 1894 | 95 | #162 | 0.82 |
| 1893 | 103 | #146 | 0.92 |
| 1892 | 124 | #131 | 1.0 |
| 1891 | 104 | #133 | 1.0 |
| 1890 | 116 | #124 | 1.0 |
| 1889 | 107 | #134 | 1.0 |
| 1888 | 123 | #127 | 1.0 |
| 1887 | 122 | #111 | 1.2 |
| 1886 | 109 | #125 | 1.0 |
| 1885 | 119 | #114 | 1.1 |
| 1884 | 139 | #109 | 1.2 |
| 1883 | 122 | #107 | 1.2 |
| 1882 | 123 | #117 | 1.1 |
| 1881 | 138 | #94 | 1.4 |
| 1880 | 134 | #100 | 1.2 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Calvin a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Calvin has been given almost only to boys: 1,223 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Calvin: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Calvin, and how old are they?
147,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 66% of the 222,287 Americans ever recorded as Calvin. The median Calvin alive today is 38 years old; half are between 16 and 64.
The 2020 Census counted 124,765 people named Calvin (261 women and girls, 124,504 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 142,898 born in the U.S. The Census count is 13% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 5,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 35,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 21,500 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 25,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 26,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 33,000 |
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 Calvin born?
The states with the most babies named Calvin are California, Texas and Georgia, with 17% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 13,754 | #193 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 13,487 | #244 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 10,349 | #205 | 1.6× |
| New York | 9,611 | #222 | 0.6× |
| North Carolina | 9,577 | #163 | 1.4× |
| Virginia | 8,740 | #129 | 1.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 8,619 | #124 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 8,278 | #130 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 8,219 | #80 | 1.0× |
| Louisiana | 7,982 | #256 | 1.9× |
Where Calvin is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Calvin is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 1.9 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 Calvin 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 8 names spelled alike, given to 229,697 babies since 1880, Calvin is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 2,717 of their 2,826 babies (96%), 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 Calvin
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1880-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel | 33,833 |
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 Calvin and names like it
- Compare Calvin and KalvinBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sCalvin peaked in 1924.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Calvin since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Calvin: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1924The year the most babies were named Calvin.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Calvin alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with CMost given first.