Cavani
A Portuguese and Italian name derived from the word 'cavanha', meaning "cavelike".
Name Census estimates that about 102 living Americans carry the first name Cavani. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cavani today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cavani births was 2018 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cavani. 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 Cavani with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
102
~ 1 in 3,360,337 Americans
Peak year
2018
14 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,043
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Cavani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cavani from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 52 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cavani 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 Cavani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cavanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cavani
The name Cavani is believed to have originated from the Italian language. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin word "cavanus," which means "hollow" or "cavity." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who lived in caves or resided in areas with many natural cavities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cavani dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in medieval Italian documents. During this period, Italy was a patchwork of city-states and principalities, and names often reflected local dialects and customs.
While the name Cavani does not appear to have any direct religious or scriptural references, it may have been influenced by the Latin word "caverna," which means "cave" or "grotto." This connection could potentially link the name to early Christian hermits or ascetics who lived in caves or remote locations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cavani. One of the earliest documented cases is Giovanni Cavani (1270-1335), an Italian architect and sculptor from Florence, who is credited with designing several churches and public buildings in the city.
Another famous Cavani was Francesco Cavani (1511-1576), an Italian botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of medicinal plants. His work, "De Plantis," published in 1568, is considered a landmark text in the field of herbalism.
In the 18th century, Giambattista Cavani (1720-1795) was an Italian composer and violinist who was active in the court of the Dukes of Parma. His compositions, primarily operas and chamber music, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
The 19th century saw the birth of Carlo Cavani (1819-1892), an Italian politician and journalist who played a prominent role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. He served as a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy and was a vocal advocate for liberal reforms.
In more recent times, Edinson Cavani (born 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who has played for various clubs, including Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific strikers of his generation and has represented Uruguay at multiple World Cup tournaments.
People
Cavani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cavani 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
Cavani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cavani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 102 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cavani 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 3,360,337 US residents.
Is Cavani a common name?
We classify Cavani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 103 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cavani most popular?
The single biggest year for Cavani was 2018, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cavani is about 7 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 Cavani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cavani a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cavani 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 Cavani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cavani 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 Cavani 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 Cavani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.