# Alvin (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/alvin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “elf”, “friend” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈælvɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Alvyn, Elvin, Alven |
| US babies named this | 162,512 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 161,414 / 1,098 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 901, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old English Ælfwine, made up of ælf (“elf”) + wine (“friend”).

## What it means

Alvin is grouped under friend.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 10 | 5,970 |
| 1979 | 8 | 7,328 |
| 1980 | 8 | 7,440 |
| 1981 | 8 | 7,427 |
| 1982 | 12 | 5,545 |
| 1983 | 8 | 7,330 |
| 1984 | 10 | 6,309 |
| 1985 | 13 | 5,363 |
| 1986 | 7 | 8,554 |
| 1987 | 7 | 8,809 |
| 1988 | 8 | 8,413 |
| 1989 | 6 | 10,905 |
| 1991 | 7 | 10,310 |
| 1992 | 5 | 13,383 |
| 1994 | 7 | 10,620 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 464 | 548 |
| 2012 | 505 | 521 |
| 2013 | 458 | 570 |
| 2014 | 462 | 595 |
| 2015 | 455 | 601 |
| 2016 | 471 | 585 |
| 2017 | 439 | 603 |
| 2018 | 390 | 655 |
| 2019 | 399 | 663 |
| 2020 | 377 | 682 |
| 2021 | 325 | 770 |
| 2022 | 352 | 737 |
| 2023 | 337 | 765 |
| 2024 | 318 | 791 |
| 2025 | 294 | 838 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 32 | 907 |
| 2012 | 47 | 704 |
| 2013 | 42 | 762 |
| 2014 | 34 | 866 |
| 2015 | 43 | 753 |
| 2016 | 23 | 1,187 |
| 2017 | 47 | 730 |
| 2018 | 31 | 932 |
| 2019 | 38 | 813 |
| 2020 | 26 | 1,051 |
| 2021 | 33 | 907 |
| 2022 | 27 | 1,058 |
| 2023 | 35 | 890 |
| 2024 | 25 | 1,132 |
| 2025 | 33 | 934 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: أَلْفِين
- Bulgarian: Алвин
- Catalan: Alvin
- Czech: Alvin
- Danish: Alvin
- Dutch: Alvin
- Estonian: Alvin
- Finnish: Alvin
- French: Alvin
- German: Albwin, Albuin, Alvin
- Greek: Άλβιν
- Hebrew: אלווין
- Hindi: एलविन
- Hungarian: Alvin
- Icelandic: Alvin
- Italian: Alvin
- Japanese: アルビン
- Korean: 앨빈
- Latvian: Alvins
- Lithuanian: Alvinas

## People named Alvin

- Alvin Toffler, American writer, futurist and businessman
- Alvin Eliot Roth, American economist, professor
- Alvin Ailey, African-American dancer, choreographer and activist (1931-1989)
- Alvin Ceccoli, Australian association football player
- Alvin Plantinga, American Christian philosopher
- Alvin Kraenzlein, American athletics competitor (1876-1928)
- Alvin Hansen, American economist (1887–1975)
- Alvin M. Weinberg, American nuclear physicist (1915–2006)
- Alvin Robertson, American basketball player (born 1962)
- Tarell Alvin McCraney, American playwright
- Alvin Harrison, Athletics competitor, sprinter, 400 metres runner
- Alvin Martin, English footballer (born 1958)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.