Find out how popular the last name Cavin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cavin.

Cavin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cavin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cavin in America

Cavin is the 9790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cavin surname appeared 3,307 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cavin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cavin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cavin

The surname Cavin has its origins in the French language and can be traced back to the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "cave," which means "cellar" or "cave." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near or worked in a cellar or cave.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cavin can be found in the Domesday Book, a detailed survey of lands and landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Cauvinus" in this medieval manuscript, indicating its presence in Normandy at that time.

During the Middle Ages, the name Cavin was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where it was often associated with local landowners and nobility. For instance, in the 12th century, a knight named Geoffroy de Cavin was mentioned in the records of the Duchy of Normandy.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Cavyn, Cavine, and Cavineau. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in historical records.

One notable bearer of the name Cavin was Jean Cavin, a French Protestant reformer who lived from 1509 to 1564. He is better known by his Latinized name, John Calvin, and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.

Another prominent individual with the surname Cavin was Étienne Cavin, a French painter and engraver who lived from 1736 to 1800. He was known for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the French countryside.

In the 19th century, a French composer named Louis-Constant Cavin (1830-1899) gained recognition for his operatic works and compositions for the piano.

The name Cavin has also been associated with notable individuals in other parts of Europe. For example, in the 16th century, there was a Scottish clergyman named John Cavin (1538-1598) who served as the minister of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Throughout history, the surname Cavin has been linked to various locations, including the village of Cavin in the Sarthe region of France, which may have influenced the name's origin and early use.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cavin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cavin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cavin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cavin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cavin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cavin, please contact us.

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