Gawaine
Old French form of the Welsh name Gwalchmai, meaning "hawk of battle".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Gawaine. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gawaine today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gawaine births was 1951 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gawaine. 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 Gawaine is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gawaines were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gawaine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1951
5 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,902
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Gawaine: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gawaine 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 Gawaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gawaine
The name Gawaine originates from the Arthurian legends of medieval Britain, which were derived from Welsh mythology and folklore. It is a variant spelling of the name Gawain, which is believed to have originated from the Welsh name Gwalchmai or Gwalchmei, meaning "Hawk of Battle" or "Hawk of May."
This name first appeared in the late 12th and early 13th centuries in the chivalric romances and tales of the Knights of the Round Table. Gawain, or Gawaine, was one of the most prominent knights in the court of King Arthur and was renowned for his bravery, loyalty, and adherence to the chivalric code.
The earliest known literary reference to Gawain can be found in the Middle English alliterative poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," which dates back to the late 14th century. This poem depicts Gawain as a model of chivalry and honor, as he faces a series of tests and challenges presented by the mysterious Green Knight.
Throughout the centuries, the name Gawaine has been borne by several notable figures in history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Sir Gawain, a knight who lived in the late 12th century and served under King John of England. Another notable bearer of the name was Gawain Douglas (c. 1474-1522), a Scottish poet and translator who produced the first complete translation of Virgil's Aeneid into English.
In the 18th century, Gawaine Bryant (1719-1799) was a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire. In the 19th century, Gawaine Walshe (1820-1888) was an Irish lawyer and judge who became the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
More recently, Gawaine Mallor (1887-1968) was a British artist and painter known for his landscape and portrait works, while Gawaine Baillie (1891-1944) was a Scottish actor and playwright who appeared in several films during the early 20th century.
While the name Gawaine has its roots in the legendary tales of King Arthur, it has endured throughout history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the enduring appeal of the chivalric ideals embodied by the original Sir Gawain.
People
Gawaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gawaine 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
Gawaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gawaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gawaine 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Gawaine a common name?
We classify Gawaine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gawaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Gawaine was 1951, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gawaine is about 86 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 Gawaine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gawaine a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gawaine 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 Gawaine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gawaine 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 Gawaine 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 the name Gawaine?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.