How rare is the name Alvin?

72,962 people in the United States have the first name Alvin, about 1 in 4,140. It ranks #701 of 53,615 first names in the 2020 Census.

first name

ALVIN

#701

of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census

People
72,962
About
1 in 4,140
This common or more
64.5%
Who bears it

Of the 72,962 people named Alvin, 42.2% reported their origin as White, 34.4% as Black and 12.1% as Asian or Pacific Islander. Virtually all are male (99.7%). These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.

Alvin peaked in 1927, when 2,908 babies got the name.

Births per year, SSA records 1880–2025
18802025
Peak year
1927
Births that year
2,908
In 2025*
294 ▼90%
Recorded as
almost entirely male

At least 162,512 babies have been given the name since 1880. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.

Alvin by decade

Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1920s, when it ranked #174. The largest share of babies named Alvin, 25%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).

1880s#2741,256
1890s#3171,667
1900s#2882,489
1910s#19515,627
1920s#17427,090
1930s#21121,636
1940s#25420,835
1950s#29623,250
1960s#40914,629
1970s#5308,767
1980s#6167,561
1990s#8405,927
2000s#1,0435,240
2010s#1,2244,535
2020s#1,5712,003
Before 19011.9%
Greatest Generation 1901–2724.4%
Silent Generation 1928–4524.1%
Baby boom 1946–6425%
Generation X 1965–809.6%
Millennials 1981–966.8%
Generation Z 1997–125.1%
2013 and later3.1%

Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.

Where Alvin is most common

Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Alvin has been most common in Louisiana (3.3×), North Dakota (2.9×), and Hawaii (2.7×), and least common in New Hampshire (0.08×).

152,857 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.

Either side of Alvin

#699 Candace · 73,527#700 Karl · 73,518#702 Glen · 72,858#703 Marina · 72,807

Spelled almost the same

8 first names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Alvin, most common first.

#5,016 Alvina · 3,527#7,829 Albin · 1,902#10,835 Alvino · 1,210#17,856 Alvan · 610#35,030 Alven · 231#41,689 Alvon · 175#42,623 Alvine · 168#49,963 Alvyn · 122

Also a last name

As a last name, Alvin ranks #22,886 of 156,621, with 1,149 people. See Alvin as a last name

Compare