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Gavin

Boy name · 5,432 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Gavin: 5,432 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 329 births in 1977.

Of Old Welsh origin, Gavin is the Anglicised form of Gawain, meaning “white hawk” or “little hawk,” from the elements *gwalch* (hawk) and *gwyn* (white/blessed). The name was carried into Arthurian legend by Sir Gawain, the noblest knight of the Round Table and protagonist of the medieval poem *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*. Modern bearers include actor Gavin MacLeod (*The Love Boat*) and Scottish singer Gavin Mitchell, while the name also appears in place names such as Gavin, Texas. A strong variant is Gavin’s Scottish cousin, Gawain itself, though Gavin remains the more enduring form across the English-speaking world.