boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Calvin

Meaning bald Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #132 Trend → Stable

Latinization of Norman-Picard Cauvin, a nickname for a chauve (“bald”) person.

Rank 2025
#132
among boys · ↑8 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,717
named Calvin · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 630
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
4,940 babies
All-time total
222,287
#172 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Calvin popularity over time

222,287 babies have been named Calvin since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,236 1,236 124 – #94
1890s – 1,102 1,102 110 -11% #124
1900s – 1,291 1,291 129 +17% #144
1910s 31 5,713 5,744 574 +345% #153
1920s 163 24,785 24,948 2,495 +334% #44
1930s 107 14,177 14,284 1,428 -43% #111
1940s 97 19,242 19,339 1,934 +35% #112
1950s 186 30,555 30,741 3,074 +59% #105
1960s 214 21,889 22,103 2,210 -28% #127
1970s 169 13,809 13,978 1,398 -37% #166
1980s 154 15,785 15,939 1,594 +14% #152
1990s 34 16,865 16,899 1,690 +6% #173
2000s 17 16,111 16,128 1,613 -5% #214
2010s 20 23,085 23,105 2,311 +43% #144
2020s (to 2025) 31 15,419 15,450 2,575 +11% #132

Where Calvin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 2,717 1.59 #132
2027 2,723 1.59 #132
2028 2,727 1.60 #132
2029 2,732 1.60 #131
2030 2,735 1.60 #131

Where Calvin is most popular

Boys named Calvin per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.49 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Calvin born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 39 6.21 +316%
Maine 101 5.21 +249%
New Hampshire 106 4.77 +220%
Wyoming 27 4.67 +213%
Utah 440 4.61 +209%
Minnesota 505 4.12 +176%
North Dakota 70 4.10 +175%
Iowa 270 3.92 +163%
District of Columbia 57 3.86 +159%
Idaho 156 3.81 +156%
Wisconsin 423 3.57 +139%
Nebraska 148 3.40 +128%
Alaska 40 3.36 +125%
Oregon 252 3.32 +123%
Montana 58 3.29 +120%
Rhode Island 52 3.19 +114%
South Dakota 56 3.01 +102%
Colorado 382 2.96 +98%
Massachusetts 397 2.89 +94%
Kansas 189 2.76 +85%
Washington 448 2.74 +84%
Indiana 436 2.72 +82%
Ohio 685 2.58 +73%
Missouri 351 2.53 +70%
Michigan 492 2.40 +61%
Maryland 233 1.95 +31%
Connecticut 131 1.94 +30%
Illinois 487 1.91 +28%
Pennsylvania 501 1.89 +26%
Virginia 327 1.72 +16%
Kentucky 172 1.71 +15%
Arkansas 106 1.68 +12%
Nevada 94 1.65 +11%
New Mexico 50 1.52 ≈ national
Oklahoma 131 1.48 ≈ national
West Virginia 48 1.47 ≈ national
Arizona 240 1.47 ≈ national
North Carolina 355 1.39 -7%
South Carolina 143 1.38 -7%
Tennessee 228 1.26 -15%
Delaware 18 1.19 -20%
California 1,011 1.11 -26%
New York 469 1.08 -27%
Georgia 266 1.05 -30%
Alabama 112 1.02 -31%
New Jersey 202 1.00 -33%
Louisiana 100 0.978 -34%
Florida 461 0.974 -35%
Mississippi 48 0.845 -43%
Hawaii 13 0.837 -44%
Texas 724 0.822 -45%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Calvin

Calvin is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #132 in 2025 with 2,710 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 222,287 American babies have been named Calvin. Its peak came in 1924, when 4,940 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Calvin stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Calvin?

The median living Calvin is about 39 years old; half are between 15 and 64. An estimated 152 thousand people named Calvin are alive in the United States today.

median 39 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Calvin year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 7 #12,161 2,710 #132
2024 5 #15,729 2,577 #140
2023 – – 2,411 #152
2022 5 #15,751 2,593 #148
2021 6 #13,808 2,593 #145
2020 8 #11,284 2,535 #144
2019 – – 2,647 #145
2018 – – 2,761 #144
2017 – – 2,703 #146
2016 7 #13,163 2,795 #149
2015 – – 2,439 #171
2014 6 #14,926 2,337 #182
2013 7 #13,443 2,066 #195
2012 – – 1,966 #189
2011 – – 1,709 #208
2010 – – 1,662 #215
2009 – – 1,578 #231
2008 – – 1,630 #227
2007 – – 1,618 #229
2006 7 #13,860 1,648 #220
2005 – – 1,619 #219
2004 – – 1,597 #219
2003 – – 1,566 #223
2002 5 #15,852 1,561 #221
2001 5 #15,774 1,613 #215
2000 – – 1,681 #214
1995 6 #12,012 1,720 #181
1990 8 #9,376 1,783 #173
1985 19 #4,147 1,520 #177
1980 13 #5,271 1,325 #185
1975 14 #4,388 1,283 #178
1970 15 #3,891 1,734 #166
1965 20 #2,752 2,045 #153
1960 28 #2,201 2,909 #129
1955 16 #2,851 3,149 #110
1950 12 #3,076 2,742 #105
1945 11 #2,757 1,797 #124
1940 9 #2,986 1,471 #127
1935 7 #3,462 1,321 #127
1930 14 #2,321 1,618 #111
1925 20 #1,950 4,302 #47
1920 9 #3,376 1,098 #139
1915 7 #3,483 694 #166
1910 – – 201 #153
1905 – – 141 #148
1900 – – 128 #163
1895 – – 130 #130
1890 – – 116 #124
1885 – – 119 #114
1880 – – 134 #100

Famous people named Calvin

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Calvin Klein Calvin Klein American fashion designer (born 1942) Contemporary
  2. 2 Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge President of the United States from 1923 to 1929 1872–1933 · 19th century
  3. 3 Calvin Harris Calvin Harris Scottish DJ (born 1984) Contemporary
  4. 4 Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson American football player (born 1985) Contemporary
  5. 5 Calvin Murphy Calvin Murphy American basketball player (born 1948) Contemporary
  6. 6 Calvin Smith Calvin Smith American sprinter b. 1961 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Calvin Jong-a-Pin Calvin Jong-a-Pin Dutch footballer (born 1986) Contemporary
  8. 8 Calvin Marlin South African footballer b. 1976 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Calvin, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Calvin?

The median living Calvin is about 39 years old. Half of all living Calvins are between 15 and 64 years old.

How many people named Calvin are alive today?

An estimated 152 thousand people named Calvin are alive in the United States, based on 222,287 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Calvin mean?

Latinization of Norman-Picard Cauvin, a nickname for a chauve (“bald”) person.

How popular is the name Calvin in 2025?

Calvin ranked #132 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,710 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Calvin?

222,287 babies have been named Calvin in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Calvin most popular?

Calvin peaked in 1924, when 4,940 newborns received the name.

Is Calvin a boy or girl name?

Calvin is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Calvin rising or falling?

Calvin is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Calvin become more popular?

Calvin looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,735 boys named Calvin in 2030, ranking around #131. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Calvin?

Well-known people named Calvin include Calvin Klein (fashion designer), Calvin Coolidge (politician), Calvin Harris (singer).

Names like Calvin

Names that sound and feel close to Calvin: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Calvin with similar names → More names starting with C →