Garvice
A masculine name possibly derived from French meaning "having a stout body".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Garvice. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Garvice today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Garvice births was 1913 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Garvice. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Garvice is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Garvices were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Garvice. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1913
6 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1922 SSA rank
#4,548
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Garvice: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Garvice from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 28 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Garvice 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 Garvice 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 Garvice
The name Garvice is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "gar" meaning "spear" and "wic" meaning "dwelling" or "settlement." It likely originated as a place name referring to a settlement or village where spears were made or where spearmen lived.
Garvice is a relatively uncommon name, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the late 13th century in England. One of the earliest known individuals with the name was Sir William Garvice, a knight who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, there are records of a Thomas Garvice, a merchant from York, who was involved in the wool trade. He is mentioned in several trade documents from the period between 1320 and 1342.
During the Renaissance period, a scholar and theologian named John Garvice lived in Oxford, England, in the late 15th century. He was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the academic community at Oxford University.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Robert Garvice was a member of the English Parliament and represented the city of Bristol. He played a role in the political events leading up to the English Civil War.
Another individual worth mentioning is Edward Garvice, a British author who lived from 1838 to 1920. He was a prolific writer of romantic fiction and is credited with publishing over 150 novels during his lifetime, many of which were bestsellers in their time.
While the name Garvice has its roots in Old English and was most prevalent in England, it has also been used, albeit rarely, in other parts of the world where English settlers and immigrants have traveled. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name overall.
People
Garvice + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Garvice as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Garvice: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garvice?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Garvice 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Garvice a common name?
We classify Garvice as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Garvice most popular?
The single biggest year for Garvice was 1913, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Garvice is about 72 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 Garvice in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Garvice a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Garvice 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 Garvice still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Garvice 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 Garvice 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 have Garvice as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Garvice, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.