Calvin
Calvin is a masculine given name. It has been particularly popular among French Protestants, who may be baptized as John Calvin, theologian, Protestant reformer and proponent of Calvinism, although in the judgement of the Oxford Dictionary of First Names, the modern given name "owes its popularity as much to the New York fashion designer Calvin Klein [b. 1942] as to the theologian".
Meaning & Origin of Calvin
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Calvin is a masculine given name. It has been particularly popular among French Protestants, who may be baptized as John Calvin, theologian, Protestant reformer and proponent of Calvinism, although in the judgement of the Oxford Dictionary of First Names, the modern given name "owes its popularity as much to the New York fashion designer Calvin Klein [b. 1942] as to the theologian".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Calvin
Calvin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 134 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 4,919 Calvins were born — ranking #44 that year. As of 2026, Calvin ranks #141 for baby boys with 2,522 births, holding steady (-5%). In total, more than 223K Calvins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Calvin
Phonetically similar names — useful when Calvin is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Calvin
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About the name Calvin
Calvin is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 223K births in the dataset. Calvin's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #44. Use the chart and map above to compare Calvin's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.