How common is the surname Calvin?

9,412 people in the United States had the surname Calvin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 32,803 Americans. It ranked 3,763rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Calvin?

Melvin Calvin, American biochemist (1911–1997), followed by Henry Calvin.

Where is the surname Calvin most common?

Wikidata records people named Calvin in the United States.

How do you pronounce Calvin?

Calvin is /ˈkælvɪn/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Calvin getting more or less common?

More common. 8,907 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,412 in 2010, up 5.7%.

Is Calvin also a first name?

Yes. Calvin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Calvin

A French nickname surname, carried by 9,412 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈkælvɪn/ 2 syllables Soundex C415 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Calvin is more common than 97.7% of them.

Origin

French origin

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

Calvin is a nickname surname: from a description or nickname of an ancestor.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,412 people named Calvin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 32,803 Americans. That is up 5.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,907.

#3,763

rank among US surnames

9,412

people in 2010

3.2

per 100,000 Americans

+5.7%

change since 2000 (was #3,664)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,754	Swisher	9,431	32,737
#3,755	Hardman	9,430	32,741
#3,757	Toler	9,427	32,751
#3,758	Cohn	9,426	32,755
#3,759	Seaton	9,423	32,765
#3,760	Ashford	9,421	32,772
#3,761	Dallas	9,418	32,782

Who is named Calvin

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

52% of people named Calvin identified as white (not Hispanic), 40% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 52%
Black (not Hispanic) 40%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.6%
Two or more races 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.9%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Calvins

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Melvin Calvin
American biochemist (1911–1997)
Henry Calvin
American actor (1918-1975)
Mack Calvin
American basketball player and coach, born 1947
William H. Calvin
American academic, born 1939

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Calvin

Calvin has the Soundex code C415, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C415.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Calvin come from?: Latinization of Norman-Picard Cauvin, a nickname for a chauve (“bald”) person.
How common is the surname Calvin?: 9,412 people in the United States had the surname Calvin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 32,803 Americans. It ranked 3,763rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Calvin?: In the 2010 Census, 52% of people named Calvin identified as white (not Hispanic), and 40% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Calvin?: Melvin Calvin, American biochemist (1911–1997), followed by Henry Calvin.
Where is the surname Calvin most common?: Wikidata records people named Calvin in the United States.
How do you pronounce Calvin?: Calvin is /ˈkælvɪn/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Calvin?: Calvin is a nickname surname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor.
Is the surname Calvin getting more or less common?: More common. 8,907 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,412 in 2010, up 5.7%.
Is Calvin also a first name?: Yes. Calvin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.