2000
#17,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Cavins
From the English habitational name referring to someone from any of the places in England called Caven or Cavenhall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,556 Americans carry the last name Cavins. That puts it at #19,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 220,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cavins 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 Cavins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 220,279
Census rank
#19,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,357 bearers of the surname Cavins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cavins
The surname Cavins is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "caf," meaning "bold" or "brave," combined with a patronymic suffix such as "-in" or "-ing," indicating "son of." This suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon the son of a bold or brave individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, which date back to 1273. This document mentions a person named Richard Cavyn, whose name is likely an early spelling variation of the modern Cavins surname.
In the 14th century, the Cavins name appeared in several historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1327, where a John Cavyn is listed. This suggests that the name had spread to various regions of England by that time.
During the 15th century, the Cavins surname was documented in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the renowned Paston family of Norfolk. In one letter dated 1472, a person named Thomas Cavyns is mentioned, likely a member of a prominent local family.
Notable individuals bearing the Cavins surname throughout history include:
1. William Cavins (c. 1540 - 1615), an English merchant and explorer who is believed to have been one of the first Englishmen to visit the West Indies.
2. John Cavins (1615 - 1682), an English settler in colonial Virginia who was granted a land patent in Westmoreland County in 1653.
3. Sarah Cavins (1660 - 1717), a Quaker preacher and author from Gloucestershire, England, known for her religious writings and advocacy for women's rights.
4. Thomas Cavins (1745 - 1821), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent farmer in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario).
5. Mary Cavins (1815 - 1891), an Irish-born writer and activist who campaigned for women's suffrage and education in the United States.
While the Cavins surname may have originated from a place name or geographical location in England, no definitive records have been found to confirm this theory. However, the name's prevalence in historical documents and its association with notable individuals throughout the centuries highlight its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cavins
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cavins 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 Cavins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 1,170
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 66
- Two or more races4.1% · 56
- Black or African American3.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cavins
Cavins 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
#18,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,529
+85 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#19,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,357
-172 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 1,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,871 | 1,444 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,198 | 1,529 | 0.52 | +85 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #19,856 | 1,357 | 0.45 | -172 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 1,658 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 Cavins 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 | #18,198 | #19,856 | -9.1% |
| Count | 1,529 | 1,357 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.45 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cavins bearers went from 1,529 to 1,357 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 1,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,198 to #19,856.
FAQ
Cavins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cavins?
Name Census estimates that about 1,556 living Americans carry the surname Cavins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 220,279 residents.
How common is Cavins?
Cavins ranks #19,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,357 people with the surname Cavins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cavins.
Has Cavins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cavins went from 1,529 recorded bearers to 1,357. That is a decrease of 172 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,198 to #19,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Cavins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cavins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (1,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cavins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cavins (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 Cavins mean?
From the English habitational name referring to someone from any of the places in England called Caven or Cavenhall. 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 Cavins (0.45 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 many people have the surname Cavins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.