Cavalli
A masculine Italian name referring to horses.
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Cavalli. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cavalli today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cavalli births was 2010 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cavalli. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cavalli with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cavalli. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
2010
10 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,102
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Cavalli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cavalli from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 34 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cavalli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cavalli by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cavalli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cavalli
The name Cavalli has its origins in the Italian language, stemming from the word "cavallo," which means "horse." This name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Italy, where it likely originated as a surname for those involved in equestrian pursuits, such as horse breeders, trainers, or stable workers.
In the 14th century, the name Cavalli appeared in several historical records from northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Giovanni Cavalli, a prominent merchant and statesman from Venice who lived from 1321 to 1396.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained further recognition with the emergence of several notable figures. Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) was a celebrated Venetian composer who made significant contributions to the development of opera. His works, such as "Ercole amante" and "Giasone," were highly acclaimed and performed throughout Europe.
Another prominent individual with the name Cavalli was Gian Giacomo Cavalli (1556-1628), an Italian architect and military engineer. He was renowned for his fortification designs and served as the chief architect of the Republic of Venice, overseeing the construction of several important buildings and defensive structures.
In the realm of art, the name Cavalli is associated with Pietro Cavalli (1616-1696), an Italian painter from the Baroque period. His works, which often depicted religious themes and mythological subjects, can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
Moving forward in history, the 19th century saw the rise of Niccolò Cavalli (1829-1906), an Italian politician and economist. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the development of economic policies during the early years of the unified Kingdom of Italy.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Cavalli throughout history. While the name may have originated as a surname, it has also been used as a given name, particularly in Italian-speaking regions, reflecting a rich cultural heritage and a connection to equestrian traditions.
People
Cavalli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cavalli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cavalli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cavalli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cavalli going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Cavalli a common name?
We classify Cavalli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cavalli most popular?
The single biggest year for Cavalli was 2010, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cavalli is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cavalli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cavalli a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cavalli in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cavalli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cavalli in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cavalli can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Cavalli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.