Tarvin
A name of English origin, possibly derived from the Old English word "tær," meaning tar or oil.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tarvin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tarvin today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarvin births was 1972 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarvin. 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 Tarvin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1972
5 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1972 SSA rank
#5,667
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Tarvin: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarvin 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 Tarvin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarvin
The name Tarvin has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the 5th century CE. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "tarvaz," which means "to dare" or "to cross over." This suggests that Tarvin may have originally been a name bestowed upon those who exhibited bravery or daring in their actions.
In the early medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Tarvinus, Tarvino, and Tarvyn, across regions inhabited by Germanic tribes, including modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of Scandinavia. It is believed that the name gained popularity during the time of the Merovingian dynasty in the Frankish Kingdom (5th to 8th centuries CE), as evidenced by its appearance in some historical records from that era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tarvin was a Frankish warrior named Tarvin the Bold, who lived in the late 6th century CE. He was renowned for his valor in battles against invading tribes and is mentioned in the chronicles of the Frankish historian Gregory of Tours.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Tarvin of Aachen, a scholar and monk who lived in the 9th century CE. He was a respected figure in the Carolingian Renaissance and is credited with preserving several ancient texts through his work as a scribe and copyist.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tarvin was also found in various regions of Europe, including England, where it was sometimes anglicized as Tarvin or Tarven. One such individual was Tarvin of Norwich, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the 12th century CE.
In the 16th century, Tarvin Müller, a German Protestant reformer and theologian, played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in central Europe. He was born in 1530 and died in 1598.
Another notable bearer of the name was Tarvin Hawkins, an English explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the globe in the late 16th century. Hawkins' detailed accounts of the voyage provided valuable insights into the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and the Americas.
While the name Tarvin has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it continues to carry a sense of bravery and daring, reflecting its rich historical roots in the Germanic cultures of ancient and medieval Europe.
People
Tarvin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarvin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarvin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarvin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarvin 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tarvin a common name?
We classify Tarvin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Tarvin most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarvin was 1972, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarvin is about 49 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 Tarvin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarvin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarvin 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 Tarvin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarvin 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 Tarvin 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 Tarvin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.