2000
#2,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,515
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.01
Uncommon Last name
Gavin
Derived from the medieval name Gawain, meaning "white hawk" or "God sends," and likely of Welsh origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,018 Americans carry the last name Gavin. That puts it at #2,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gavin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gavin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,823
Census rank
#2,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,096 bearers of the surname Gavin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gavin
The surname GAVIN originates from the ancient Scottish Gaelic personal name Gawain or Gavin, derived from the Welsh name Gawain or Gwalchmei. The name itself is thought to mean "hawk of battle" or "battle prince" in ancient Celtic languages. The earliest known records of the surname date back to the 12th century in the Scottish Lowlands and Borders region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname GAVIN was Sir Gavin of Glammis, a Scottish knight who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Robert III of Scotland. Another notable early GAVIN was Gavin Douglas, a Scottish bishop and poet who lived from around 1474 to 1522. He is best known for his translation of Virgil's Aeneid into early Scots vernacular.
In the 16th century, the GAVIN surname was found in various parishes and records across Scotland, with variations in spelling such as Gawane, Gavine, and Gawain. One notable figure from this time was Gavin Hamilton, a Scottish painter and archaeologist who lived from 1723 to 1798. He is renowned for his neoclassical paintings and his excavations in Italy.
The GAVIN surname also has a long history in Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. One famous Irish GAVIN was Gavin Higgins, a prominent lawyer and politician who lived from 1890 to 1965. He served as Attorney General of Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Free State.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the GAVIN surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, with individuals bearing the name found in England, Wales, and various British colonies. One notable GAVIN from this era was Gavin Milroy, a Scottish physician and writer who lived from 1805 to 1886. He is known for his works on the medical treatment of mental disorders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gavin
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gavin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gavin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 9,709
- Black or African American17.7% · 2,319
- Two or more races3.7% · 486
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gavin
Gavin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,061
+546 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 4.77
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#2,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,096
-965 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 4.38
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,453 | 13,515 | 5.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,569 | 14,061 | 4.77 | +546 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #2,685 | 13,096 | 4.38 | -965 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 116 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gavin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,569 | #2,685 | -4.5% |
| Count | 14,061 | 13,096 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.77 | 4.38 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gavin bearers went from 14,061 to 13,096 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,569 to #2,685.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gavin
FAQ
Gavin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gavin?
Name Census estimates that about 15,018 living Americans carry the surname Gavin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,823 residents.
How common is Gavin?
Gavin ranks #2,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,096 people with the surname Gavin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,018), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gavin.
Has Gavin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gavin went from 14,061 recorded bearers to 13,096. That is a decrease of 965 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,569 to #2,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Gavin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gavin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (9,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gavin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (17.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gavin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gavin mean?
Derived from the medieval name Gawain, meaning "white hawk" or "God sends," and likely of Welsh origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gavin (4.38 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Gavin?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Gavin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.