Gavan
An Irish masculine name meaning "small hawk" or "ardent fighter".
Name Census estimates that about 967 living Americans carry the first name Gavan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gavan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gavan births was 2003 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gavan. 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.
People living today
967
~ 1 in 354,451 Americans
Peak year
2003
80 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,883
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Gavan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gavan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 553 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gavan 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 Gavan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gavans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Gavan, while Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gavan
The name Gavan has its origins in the Celtic languages, particularly in Irish Gaelic and Welsh. It is derived from the Old Irish word "gabháin," meaning "small mouth" or "little hawk." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.
In Welsh, the name is spelled "Gafan," and it is believed to be related to the Welsh word "gafan," meaning "hook" or "crook." This could indicate a connection to fishing or hunting activities in the region's early history.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gavan dates back to the 7th century AD, when it appeared in Irish annals and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Annals of Ulster, which refer to a person named Gavan mac Colmáin, who was a king of the Uí Cheinnselaig dynasty in the late 7th century.
In the 12th century, the name is found in the Icelandic saga Landnámabók, which mentions a Viking settler named Gavan who established a settlement in Iceland. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its Celtic origins and was in use among Norse populations as well.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Gavan:
1. Gavan Duffy (1882-1951), an Australian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives and was a prominent advocate for Irish nationalism.
2. Gavan Tredoux (1913-1998), a South African actor and playwright known for his work in Afrikaans theater and films.
3. Gavan O'Herlihy (1954-2012), an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as "Willow" and "Never Say Never Again."
4. Gavan Hennigan (born 1984), an Irish soccer player who has played for various clubs in Ireland and England.
5. Gavan McCaughey (born 1976), an Australian rugby union player who represented Australia in several international competitions.
While the name Gavan is not as common as some other Celtic names, it has endured through the centuries and continues to be used in various parts of the world, particularly in Ireland, Wales, and other regions with Celtic cultural influences.
People
Gavan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gavan 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
Gavan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gavan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 967 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gavan 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 354,451 US residents.
Is Gavan a common name?
We classify Gavan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 982 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gavan most popular?
The single biggest year for Gavan was 2003, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gavan is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gavan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gavan 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.
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.