The Gavin surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,061 people carried this name — #2,569 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 21,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 13,515 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 66 births for the Gavin name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
245 people named Gavin live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 141 people named Gavin.
26 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 23 départements, most often Isère.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 30 people named Gavin live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
48 people named Gavin is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Gavin in American newspapers,
1897–1921.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 62,647 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Gavin,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Michael Freebern Gavin 1844–1915 · physician -
Hugh Gavin 1878–1940 · Australian rules football player -
Leon Harry Gavin 1893–1963 · politician -
James M. Gavin 1907–1990 · military officer -
John Gavin 1931–2018 · actor
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 102 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Gavin.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Gavin is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.