NameRealm
Alvin

Alvin: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“noble friend”
Origin
Old English
Say it
AL-vin · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From Old English Ælfwine, meaning 'elf friend,' later associated with Alvin through sound change and continental forms. Also used as an anglicized form of related Germanic names.

English namesGerman namesScandinavian namesNames meaning nobleClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Alvin?

202495.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Alvin in 2024316

2024 rank#791 boys

Peak year1927

Total US babies since 1880162,206

Alvin is steady now but far below its 1927 peak.

Names like Alvin

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Elvinelf friend · English
  • Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
  • Westonwestern settlement · Old English
  • Blakeblack; pale · Old English
  • Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Ashtonash tree town · Old English
  • Kingstonking's town · Old English
  • Brandonbroom-covered hill · Old English

Alvin questions

What does the name Alvin mean?

Alvin means "noble friend". It comes from Old English. From Old English Ælfwine, meaning 'elf friend,' later associated with Alvin through sound change and continental forms. Also used as an anglicized form of related Germanic names.

Is Alvin a boy or girl name?

Alvin is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Alvin?

316 US babies were named Alvin in 2024. Its peak year was 1927.

How do you pronounce Alvin?

Alvin is usually pronounced AL-vin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.