Cavan

Cavan - A very unique male name

Cavan appeared on the charts for the first time in 1979 on position #2116. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Cavan and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Cavan? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Cavan. The baby boy name Cavan was given to 5 baby boys in 2025, ranking #3890 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 293,257 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Cavan peaked in popularity 45 years ago in 1981 on position 2022.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Cavan, 1-5?

Cavan is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Cavan is currently topping the baby name charts in Pennsylvania at position #1,270 - and is the least popular in Pennsylvania at position #1,270.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Cavan is where you live.

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Cavan origin and meaning

Irish

From Irish An Cabhán, 'the hollow' — the county and town name in Ireland

Cavan is the name of a county and town in Ireland, from the Irish word for a hollow, and it has passed into occasional given-name use in the pattern of Irish place names. US use runs from 1979 in small numbers. It is distinct from the surname Cavanaugh, with which it is sometimes confused.

Attested etymology

Cavan is a 5 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Cavan, pop culture references for the name Cavan and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Cavan

We've found the following names that sound similar to Cavan, sorted by popularity.

Caspian / Cavin / Chapman / Cobain / Cavani / Capone / Caven / Cevyn /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Cavan

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Cavan a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Cavan?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

KAV-an · /ˈkævən/

Around the world

• Cabhán (Irish) — The Irish form of the place name

Spellings and nicknames

• Kavan — K-spelling variant also in US data
• Caven — Vowel variant

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

Place nameInternational

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Cavan for a genuine Irish place name that is short, soft and still almost unused as a first name.

Worth knowing

• Often confused with Kevin or with Cavanaugh