Selvyn
A masculine name of Germanic origins meaning "heir to an estate".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Selvyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Selvyn today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Selvyn births was 1963 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Selvyn. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Selvyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1963
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2011 SSA rank
#14,000
Tracked since 1963
Census
Selvyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 252 people with the first name Selvyn, which placed it at #33,030 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,030
National first-name rank
People counted
252
252 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
61.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selvyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Selvyn is Hispanic at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and White (6.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Selvyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Selvyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino61.1% · 154
- Black or African American27.8% · 70
- White6.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 7
- Two or more races2.0% · 5
Popularity
Selvyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Selvyn from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 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
Selvyn 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 Selvyn 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 Selvyn
The name Selvyn has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, specifically Old Norse and Old English. It is a combination of two words, "selwyn" meaning "friend of the hall" and "vin" meaning "friend" or "companion." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of Scandinavia and England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Selvyn can be found in the Icelandic sagas, where it was used to refer to a renowned warrior and chieftain who lived in the 9th century. These sagas, which were written in the 13th century, provide valuable insights into the cultural significance of the name during that time period.
In England, the name Selvyn gained prominence during the Norman conquest in the 11th century. It was often used by members of the nobility and upper classes, as it was seen as a strong and masculine name. One notable individual who bore this name was Selvyn de Arundel, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
During the Renaissance period, the name Selvyn became associated with intellectualism and the arts. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Selvyn Sidney, an English poet and courtier who lived from 1554 to 1586. His works, including the famous sonnets "Astrophel and Stella," have had a lasting impact on English literature.
In the 17th century, Selvyn Marler, an English lawyer and member of Parliament, played a significant role in the English Civil War. He was a staunch supporter of the Parliamentarian cause and was instrumental in the trial and execution of King Charles I in 1649.
Another notable figure with the name Selvyn was Selvyn Walters, a British explorer who lived from 1842 to 1910. He led several expeditions to Africa and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the interior regions of the continent, making significant contributions to the field of geography and cartography.
Throughout history, the name Selvyn has been associated with strength, bravery, and intellectual pursuits. While its popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries, it remains a unique and distinctive name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Selvyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Selvyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Selvyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Selvyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Selvyn 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Selvyn a common name?
We classify Selvyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Selvyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Selvyn was 1963, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Selvyn is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Selvyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 252 people with the name Selvyn, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,030 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Selvyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Selvyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Selvyn leans strongly male. 248 people counted with this name were male (98.0%), compared with 5 female bearers (2.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Selvyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Selvyn is Hispanic at 61.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and White (6.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Selvyn most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Selvyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.1% (154 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Selvyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Selvyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Selvyn 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 Selvyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Selvyn 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 Selvyn 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.
How many people are named Selvyn?
Find out how many Americans are named Selvyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.