2000
#9,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Cavin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cathain," meaning "descendant of Cathan," a personal name meaning "warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,484 Americans carry the last name Cavin. That puts it at #10,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,380 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cavin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cavin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,380
Census rank
#10,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,038 bearers of the surname Cavin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cavin
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cavin bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cavin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 2,484
- Black or African American7.5% · 228
- Two or more races6.1% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cavin
Cavin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,307
+204 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 176 places
2020
#10,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,038
-269 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,614 | 3,103 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,790 | 3,307 | 1.12 | +204 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 176 places |
| 2020 | #10,112 | 3,038 | 1.02 | -269 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 322 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cavin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,790 | #10,112 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,307 | 3,038 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.02 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cavin bearers went from 3,307 to 3,038 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,790 to #10,112.
FAQ
Cavin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cavin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,484 living Americans carry the surname Cavin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,380 residents.
How common is Cavin?
Cavin ranks #10,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,038 people with the surname Cavin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,484), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cavin.
Has Cavin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cavin went from 3,307 recorded bearers to 3,038. That is a decrease of 269 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,790 to #10,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Cavin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.5%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cavin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (2,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cavin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (7.5%), Two or More Races (6.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cavin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cavin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cathain," meaning "descendant of Cathan," a personal name meaning "warrior." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cavin (1.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Cavin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Cavin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.