Kalvyn
A masculine name of English origin derived from the French name Calvin, meaning "hairless".
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Kalvyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalvyn today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalvyn births was 2017 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalvyn. 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 Kalvyn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
2017
10 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,057
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Kalvyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalvyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 73 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalvyn 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 Kalvyn 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 Kalvyn
The name Kalvyn is a modern variation of the Latin name Calvinus, which is derived from the word "calvus" meaning "bald" or "hairless." It is believed to have originated in ancient Rome during the classical era.
The name Calvinus was initially a surname or cognomen given to individuals with distinctive physical characteristics, such as baldness or a receding hairline. Over time, it transitioned into a personal name, particularly among early Christian communities in Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Calvinus can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a man named Quintus Calvinus in his work "Annals." This suggests that the name was in use during the 1st century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Calvinus gained popularity among Christian scholars and theologians. One notable figure was John Calvin (1509-1564), the influential French Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure with the name Calvinus was Calvinus Turrentinus (fl. 5th century AD), a Roman grammarian and author who wrote extensively on Latin grammar and rhetoric.
In the 16th century, the name Calvinus appeared in various forms, such as Calvyn and Kalvyn, particularly in regions influenced by the Protestant Reformation.
One notable bearer of the name Kalvyn was Kalvyn van Ghouwen (1520-1567), a Dutch Protestant reformer and theologian who played a crucial role in the spread of Calvinism in the Netherlands.
Another individual with the name Kalvyn was Kalvyn Coolidge (1872-1933), an American politician who served as the 30th President of the United States from 1923 to 1929.
Over time, the name Kalvyn evolved into various spellings and forms, such as Calvin, Calvin, and Kelvin, which are more commonly used today. However, the original spelling of Kalvyn remains a unique and distinctive variation, often chosen for its historical and cultural significance.
People
Kalvyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalvyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kalvyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalvyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalvyn 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 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Kalvyn a common name?
We classify Kalvyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 126 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalvyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalvyn was 2017, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalvyn is about 16 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 Kalvyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalvyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalvyn 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 Kalvyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalvyn 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 Kalvyn 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 are named Kalvyn?
Want to know how many Americans are named Kalvyn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.