Gavin
Meaning of Gavin
Gavin, pronounced GAV-in, is the contemporary Scottish rendering of the medieval Gawain—Arthurian legend’s courteous knight whose name is traditionally interpreted as “white hawk.” Carried south by Norman scribes and later west by Scottish emigrants, the name lay relatively quiet in American nurseries until the early 1990s, when it embarked on a steady climb that placed it among the national Top 30 by 2008; since then it has eased back to a still-comfortable 241st in 2024, a trajectory suggesting staying power without the risk of classroom overpopulation. Literary gravitas (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), modern visibility (California governor Gavin Newsom, musician Gavin Rossdale), and a brisk, two-syllable simplicity give the name a balanced profile—courtly enough for a résumé, compact enough for a pee-wee jersey. Dryly put, Gavin is a choice for parents who like their heritage Celtic, their consonants firm, and their trend curve reassuringly past its peak.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as GAV-in (/ˈɡæv.ɪn/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
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Notable People Named Gavin
| Gavin Newsom is a Democratic politician and businessman serving as Californias governor since 2019 after earlier roles as lieutenant governor and mayor of San Francisco. |
| Gavin Smith was an American college basketball star who won the 1975 NCAA title with UCLA, set a single season scoring record at Hawaii, later became a 20th Century Fox distribution executive, and appeared in the film Cobb. |
| Gavin DeGraw is an American singer and songwriter best known for I Don't Want to Be from his debut album Chariot, which became the One Tree Hill theme, and for the singles Chariot and Follow Through. |
| Gavin MacLeod was an American actor best known as Murray on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Stubing on The Love Boat, later an evangelical Christian whose six decade career also included work as a Christian TV host and author. |
| Gavin David Free is an English actor, director, cinematographer, and internet personality best known for his work at Rooster Teeth, including Achievement Hunter, and for directing Red vs. Blue season 7 and the Relocated miniseries. |
| English musician Gavin McGregor Rossdale, best known as Bush's frontman, led Institute and a solo career during the band's 2002 to 2010 hiatus and won the 2013 Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. |
| Gavin James, born Gavin Wigglesworth, is an Irish singer and songwriter who won the Choice Music Prize Irish Song of the Year in 2013 and 2016. |
