Cavan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAV-un
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,511 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,449 for boys
Cavan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “the hollow”. In 2025 it ranked 2,511th for boys in the UK (9 babies) and 3,449th for boys in the US (33 babies).
What does Cavan mean?
Irish: from An Cabhán, also used as a form of Kevin
“the hollow”
Shares its name with County Cavan in Ireland, from Irish An Cabhán, 'the hollow'.
Is Cavan a girl's or a boy's name?
Cavan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 boys in the UK and 33 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cavan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,511th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 33,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 64% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the UK were named Cavan, making it the 2,511th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,108th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 61 boys.
Half of all the boys named Cavan in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 25 boys in the UK were given Cavan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,076, up from #2,511 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,436th in England and Wales.
Cavan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,511 |
| 2024 | 7 | #3,003 |
| 2023 | 7 | #2,965 |
| 2022 | 5 | #3,639 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,100 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,108 |
| 2019 | 1 | #6,258 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 9 | #2,461 |
| 2016 | 15 | #1,723 |
| 2015 | 13 | #1,888 |
| 2014 | 14 | #1,743 |
| 2013 | 15 | #1,636 |
| 2012 | 12 | #1,956 |
| 2011 | 17 | #1,489 |
| 2010 | 13 | #1,805 |
| 2009 | 27 | #1,057 |
| 2008 | 28 | #1,020 |
| 2007 | 34 | #858 |
| 2006 | 31 | #880 |
| 2005 | 32 | #832 |
| 2004 | 26 | #903 |
| 2003 | 28 | #808 |
| 2002 | 40 | #575 |
| 2001 | 54 | #447 |
| 2000 | 50 | #471 |
| 1999 | 57 | #435 |
| 1998 | 61 | #411 |
| 1997 | 42 | #505 |
| 1996 | 18 | #852 |
How popular is Cavan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,449th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 33 about 1 in 52,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 33 boys in the US were named Cavan, making it the 3,449th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,731st. Its busiest year was 2008, with 77 boys. It first appears in the records in 1969.
Half of all the boys named Cavan in the US since 1880 were born between 1998 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 82 boys in the US were given Cavan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,661, up from #3,449 for this spelling alone.
Cavan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #3,449 |
| 2024 | 25 | #4,197 |
| 2023 | 30 | #3,710 |
| 2022 | 28 | #3,876 |
| 2021 | 33 | #3,424 |
| 2020 | 28 | #3,731 |
| 2019 | 41 | #2,941 |
| 2018 | 31 | #3,520 |
| 2017 | 36 | #3,192 |
| 2016 | 44 | #2,725 |
| 2015 | 43 | #2,765 |
| 2014 | 52 | #2,427 |
| 2013 | 69 | #1,988 |
| 2012 | 51 | #2,447 |
| 2011 | 52 | #2,402 |
| 2010 | 53 | #2,374 |
| 2009 | 69 | #2,009 |
| 2008 | 77 | #1,874 |
| 2007 | 64 | #2,117 |
| 2006 | 59 | #2,175 |
| 2005 | 71 | #1,810 |
| 2004 | 45 | #2,448 |
| 2003 | 60 | #1,932 |
| 2002 | 65 | #1,769 |
| 2001 | 41 | #2,382 |
| 2000 | 34 | #2,669 |
| 1999 | 36 | #2,459 |
| 1998 | 33 | #2,549 |
| 1997 | 32 | #2,498 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 14 | #4,274 |
| 1994 | 27 | #2,680 |
| 1993 | 20 | #3,240 |
| 1992 | 28 | #2,527 |
| 1991 | 12 | #4,468 |
| 1990 | 21 | #2,946 |
| 1989 | 18 | #3,199 |
| 1988 | 13 | #3,700 |
| 1987 | 14 | #3,334 |
| 1986 | 21 | #2,508 |
| 1985 | 13 | #3,398 |
| 1984 | 16 | #2,823 |
| 1983 | 15 | #2,911 |
| 1982 | 13 | #3,281 |
| 1981 | 23 | #2,203 |
| 1980 | 9 | #4,133 |
| 1979 | 11 | #3,567 |
| 1978 | 13 | #3,069 |
| 1977 | 11 | #3,384 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 8 | #3,939 |
| 1974 | 11 | #3,118 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 7 | #3,960 |
| 1971 | 9 | #3,368 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 8 | #3,313 |
Nicknames for Cavan
- Cav
Names like Cavan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Declan, Ronan, Conan, Conlan, Aiden, Finn, Keegan, Caelan, Brogan, Kian, Keelan, Regan
Other spellings of Cavan
Names related to Cavan
More Irish names
Oscar, Rowan, Rory, Maeve, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Connor, Casey, Kennedy, Callan, Lennon, Cillian
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cavan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cavan, updated 20 October 2026.