Calvin
Pronounced K AE1 L V AH0 N (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1924
- 145 years in use
- 3 spellings
How popular is Calvin?
Calvin is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 226,463 children — the 170th most common boys' name on record.
It peaked in 1924, went quiet for most of a century, and is climbing again. Its best single year was 1924, when 4,928 children were given it.
Three other spellings are counted in that total — Kalvin, Calven and Calvyn — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Calvin and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Kalvin
- Calven
- Calvyn
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- K AE1 L V AH0 N · K AE1 L V IH0 N · K AE1 L V IH1 N · K EY1 EY1 EH1 L V IH1 N
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10 · 11 · 1111
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Calvin
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Calvin
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Calvin?
- Calvin ranks 170th among boys' names in US records, with 226,463 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 27,477.
- Is Calvin a unisex name?
- No. Calvin is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Calvin most popular?
- 1924, when 4,928 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Calvin spelled?
- Kalvin, Calven, Calvyn. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.