Alvin

Etymology

Alvin was introduced in the 19th century based on surnames that were in turn derived from the Old English names Æthelwine and Ealdwine. The names mean "noble friend" and "old friend" respectively.

The corresponding German name is Alwin, which continues the Old High German names Albwin and Adalwin.

Notable people with the given name

Alvin Abundo (born 1992), Filipino basketball player

Alvin Achenbaum (1925–2016), American businessman

Alvin Ackerley, Great Britain and England international rugby league footballer

Alvin Adams (1804–1877), early 19th-century American businessman

Alvin P. Adams Jr. (1942–2015), American diplomat

Alvin P. Adams Sr., American aviation executive

Alvin Aguilar (born 1974), Filipino martial artist

Alvin Ailey (1931–1989), African-American choreographer and activist

Alvin Alcorn (1912–2003), American jazz trumpeter

Alvin Alden (1818–1882), American businessman and politician

Alvin L. Alm (1937–2000), American environmental regulator

Alvin Alvarez (born 1989), American actor

Alvin T. Amaral (1927–2014), American politician

Alvin Eli Amason, American painter

Alvin Anson (born 1962), Filipino actor

Alvin Anthons (born 1976), Malaysian entertainer

Alvin Arrondel (born 1993), French professional footballer

Alvin Ashley (born 1969), American football player

Alvin O. Austin (born 1942), American academic administrator

Alvin Aubert (1930–2014), American poet and scholar

Alvin Avinesh (born 1982), Fijian footballer

Alvin Bailey (born 1990), American football player

Alvin Baldus (1926–2017), American politician

Alvin Baltrop (1948–2004), American photographer

A. B. Barber (1883–1961), United States Army officer

Alvin L. Barry (1931–2001), President of Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (1992–2001)

Alvin Batiste (1932–2007), American jazz clarinetist

Alvin Bell (1901–1968), American football and basketball player and football official

Alvin Gladstone Bennett (1918–2004), Jamaican writer

Alvin Morell Bentley (1918–1969), American politician

Alvin Bernard, Dominican politician

Alvin Blount (born 1965), American gridiron football player

Alvin Boretz (1919–2010), American screenwriter

Alvin Botes (born 1973), South African politician

Alvin J. Boutte (1929–2012), American banker and businessman

Alvin Bowen (born 1983), American football player

Alvin Bowman, American academic administrator

Alvin Bragg (born 1973), American lawyer and politician

Alvin Bronson (1783–1881), American politician

Alvin Bronstein (1928–2015), American lawyer

Alvin Brooks (basketball, born 1959) (born 1959), American basketball player and coach

Alvin Brooks III (born 1979), American basketball player and coach

Alvin Brown (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Bubb (born 1980), Grenada international footballer

Alvin Bullock (1906–1993), Canadian politician

Alvin Burke, Jr. (born 1973), birth name of Hassan Hamin Assad, better known as Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP)

Alvin Burroughs (c. 1911–1950), American jazz musician

Alvin C. Bush (1924–2017), American politician

Alvin Bush (1893–1959), American politician

Alvin Cailan (born 1983), American chef and YouTuber

Alvin Andrew Callender (1893–1918), American pursuit pilot and a flying ace in World War I

Alvin B. Cardwell (1902–1992), American experimental physicist

Alvin P. Carey (1916–1944), United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

Alvin Carlsson (1891–1972), Swedish diver

A. P. Carter (1891–1960), American singer-songwriter

Alvin Cash (1939–1999), American actor and singer

Alvin Cassel, American lawyer

Alvin Ceccoli (born 1974), Australian footballer

Alvin Duke Chandler (1902–1987), Rear Admiral of the United States

Alvin Chau (born 1989), Macanese businessman and criminal

Alvin Childress (1907–1986), American actor

Alvin J. Clasen (1892–1971), American politician

Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882–1966), American photographer

Alvin Aaron Coffey Sr. (1822–1902) African American pioneer, miner, and farmer in California; who was formerly enslaved

Alvin Colina (born 1981), Venezuelan baseball player

Alvin Colt (1916–2008), American costume designer

Alvin Cooperman (1923–2006), American television producer

Alvin Coox (1924–1999), American military historian and author

Alvin Corneal (born 1937), Trinidad and Tobago footballer and cricketer

Alvin Robert Cornelius (1903–1991), Pakistani judge

Alvin Crowder (1899–1972), American baseball player

Alvin H. Culver (1873–1955), American football player and coach

Alvin Curling (born 1939), Jamaican-born Canadian politician

Alvin Curran (born 1938), American musician and composer

Alvin Daniel (born 1969), Trinidad and Tobago sprinter

Alvin Daniels (born 1994), French Guianan professional footballer

Alvin Dark (1922–2014), Major League Baseball player and manager

Alvin Darling (born 1948), American gospel musician

Alvin Davis (born 1960), Major League Baseball player

Alvin J. DeGrow (1926–2016), American politician

Alvin Deutsch (1932–2021), American lawyer

Alvin Devane (1923–2012), American singer and police lieutenant

Alvin Dewey (1912–1987), American police officer

Alvin Swen Dixon (born 1993), Liberian footballer

Alvin E. Dodd (1883–1951), American consulting engineer

Alvin Joseph Downing (c. 1916–2000), American jazz musician

Alvin Drew (born 1962), American astronaut

Alvin Dueck, American psychologist and theologian

Alvin Duncan (1913–2009), Canadian historian

Alvin Duskin (1931–2021), American educator, entrepreneur and activist

Alvin R. Dyer (1903–1977), American Mormon leader

Alvin Eisenman (1921–2013), American graphic designer

Alvin Elchico (born 1974), Filipino broadcast journalist

Alvin Endt (1933–2016), American politician

Alvin Epstein (1925–2018), American actor

Alvin Etler (1913–1973), American composer and musician

Alvin Evans (1845–1906), American politician

Alvin Feldman (1927–1981), American airline executive and mechanical engineer

Alvin S. Felzenberg, American historian

Alvin Fielder (1935–2019), American jazz drummer

Alvin Fisher (1893–1937), Canadian ice hockey player

Alvin Fortes (born 1994), Cape Verdean footballer

Alvin Francisco (born 1987), Filipino radiologist and media personality

Alvin Frankenberg (1923–2011), American lawyer

Alvin T. Fuller (1878–1958), American businessman and politician

Alvin Gajadhur (born 1973), Polish politician, statesman, chemical engineer, and educator

Alvin Ganzer (1911–2009), American film director

Alvin Garcia (born 1946), Filipino politician and lawyer

Alvin Gardiner (born 1951), Australian tennis player

Alvin Garrett (born 1956), American football player

Alvin Gentry (born 1954), American basketball player and coach

Alvin Gipson (1914–1987), American baseball player

Alvin Gittins (1922–1981), English painter

Alvin Goldfarb, American academic

Alvin Goldman (1938–2024), American philosopher

Alvin Gouldner (1920–1980), American sociologist and activist

Alvin Edwin Graham, Canadian politician

Alvin C. Graves (1909–1965), American nuclear physicist

A. C. Greene (1923–2002), American journalist and politician

Alvin Greene (born 1977), American political candidate

Alvin Greenidge (born 1956), West Indian cricketer

Alvin F. Grospiron (1916–1985), American labor leader

Alvin Abdul Halim (born 1998), Indonesian footballer

Alvin Hall (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Hamilton (1912–2004), Canadian politician

Alvin A. Handrich (1892–1981), American farmer, businessman and politician

Alvin Hansen (1887–1975), American economist

Alvin F. Harlow (1875–1963), American writer and biographer

Alvin Harper (born 1967), American football player

Alvin Harrison (born 1974), American Olympic gold medal runner

Alvin Hart (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Hawkins (1821–1905), American judge

Alvin Hayes, American jazz musician

Alvin Haymond (1942–2024), American football player

Alvin Haynes (born 1968), Barbadian triple jumper

Alvin Heaps (1919–1986), American labor union leader

Alvin Heggs (born 1967), American basketball player

Alvin Hellerstein (born 1933), American federal judge

Alvin Henderson (American football) (born 2006), American football player

Alvin Henry, Trinidad and Tobago sprinter

Alvin Tobias Hert (1865–1921), American politician

Alvin Hewlett (born 1937), Canadian politician

Alvin O. Hofstad (1905–1962), American farmer and politician

Alvin Hollingsworth (1928–2000), American painter and comic book artist

Alvin Holmes (1939–2020), American politician

Alvin Holsey, United States Navy admiral

Alvin P. Hovey (1821–1891), American Civil War general, Indiana supreme court justice, congressman, and governor of Indiana

Alvin Howard, American cricketer

Alvin Huang, Chinese-American architect

Alvin Hung, creator of GoAnimate

Alvin Hudson (born 1976), Canadian soccer player

Alvin Ing (1932–2021), American singer and actor

Alvin Jacklick (born 1949), Marshallese politician

Alvin Jackson (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. (born 1974), American documentary photographer

Alvin Jaeger (born 1943), American politician

Alvin James, Jamaican-American soccer player

Alvin Jemmott (1906–?), Guyanese cricketer

Alvin Johnson (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin M. Johnston (1914–1998), American test pilot

Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit (born 1974), American rapper and actor

Alvin Jones (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (1915–2005), American journalist and civil rights activist

Alvin Kahle (1909–1986), American politician

Alvin Kallicharran (born 1949), West Indian cricketer

Alvin Kamara (born 1995), American football player

Alvin Karadža (born 1984), Bosnian-Herzegovinian footballer

Alvin Karpis (1907–1979), noted American criminal and "public enemy"

Alvin Katz (born 1936), American politician

Alvin Ratz Kaufman (1885–1979), Canadian industrialist and birth control advocate

Alvin Kelly (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Olin King (1890–1958), American politician

Alvin Kirkland, American rugby league and gridiron player

Alvin Paul Kitchin (1908–1983), American politician

Alvin Klein (c. 1938–2009), American journalist and theater critic

Alvin Kletsch (1861–1941), American football coach

Alvin Kraenzlein (1876–1928), American athlete, four-time gold medalist at the 1900 Paris Olympics

Alvin Krenzler (1921–2010), American judge

A. B. Krongard (born 1936), executive director of the CIA

Alvin Boyd Kuhn (1880–1963), American religious scholar

Alvin H. Kukuk (1937–2017), American politician

Alvin La Feuille (born 1978), West Indies cricketer

Alvin Landy, American bridge player

Alvin Law, Canadian motivational speaker and radio broadcaster

Alvin Lee (comics) (born 1980), Canadian comic book artist

Alvin Lee, born Graham Barnes (1944–2013), English guitarist and singer

Alvin Leung (born 1961), Canadian chef and television personality

Alvin Levin, American writer

Alvin Lewis (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Liberman (1917–2000), American linguist

Alvin Libin (born 1931), Canadian businessman and philanthropist

Alvin Lie (born 1961), Indonesian politician

Alvin Francis Lindsay (1882–1957), American politician

Alvin Loftes (1890–1971), American cyclist

Alvin Loucks (1895–1973), American football player and coach

Alvin D. Loving (1935–2005), African-American abstract expressionist painter

Alvin Lucier (1931–2021), American composer

Alvin Luedecke (1910–1998), United States Air Force general

Alvin Lustig (1915–1955), American graphic and interior designer

Alvin Maccornell (born 1993), Liberian footballer

Alvin Malnik (born 1933), American businessman and attorney

Alvin Manley (born 1971), American boxer

Alvin Marriott (1902–1992), Jamaican sculptor

Alvin Martin (born 1958), English footballer

Alvin Maxson (1951–2022), American football player

Alvin McCoy (1903–1988), American journalist

Alvin McDonald (c. 1873–1893), American caver and tour guide

Alvin McKinley (born 1978), American football player

Alvin Coulter McLean, Canadian politician from Ontario

Alvin Mendoza (born 1984), Mexican footballer

Alvin F. Meredith III (born 1970), American current president

Alvin Mitchell (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Moore (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Morada (born 1997), Filipino badminton player

Alvin Morman (born 1969), American baseball player

Alvin Cecil Murray (1895–1949), Canadian politician and farmer

Alvin Ng (born 1994), Hong Kong male singer, host and actor under Voice Entertainment

Alvin K. C. Ng (born 1989), apprentice jockey in Hong Kong

Alvin Andreas Herborg Nielsen (1910–1994), American physicist in molecular spectroscopy

Alvin Nnabuife (born 1983), American football player

Alvin O'Konski (1904–1987), American politician and educator

Alvin Obinna Okoro (born 2005), Nigerian football player

Alvin Osterback (1915–2005), American businessman, commercial fisherman and politician

Alvin Otieno (born 1994), Kenyan rugby sevens player

Alvin Ott (born 1949), American politician

Alvin M. Owsley (1888–1967), American diplomat

Alvin Pam, American psychologist

Alvin Pang (born 1972), Chinese poet

Alvin Pankhurst (1949–2024), New Zealand magic realist artist

Alvin Parker (born c. 1977), American football coach

Alvin Pasaol (born 1995), Filipino basketball player

Alvin Patrimonio (born 1966), Filipino basketball player

Alvin Seeco Patterson (1930–2021), Jamaican percussionist

Alvin Payton, American politician

Alvin Pearman (born 1982), American football player

Alvin Penn (1949–2003), American politician

Alvin H. Perlmutter, American film producer

Alvin Pierson (1898–1974), American football player and coach

Alvin Plantinga (born 1932), American philosopher

Alvin Plumb (1802–1877), American politician

Alvin Porter (born 1976), American football player

Alvin Francis Poussaint (1934–2025), American psychiatrist

Alvin Powell (born 1959), American football player

Alvin Prouder, American kickboxer

Alvin J. Quackenbush, American politician

Alvin Queen (born 1950), American-born Swiss jazz drummer

Alvin Rabushka (born 1940), American economist

Alvin Radkowsky (1915–2002), American nuclear physicist

Alvin Rakoff (1927–2024), Canadian film and television director

Alvin Ranglin, Jamaican musician and record producer

Alvin J. Redford (1883–1974), American politician and police officer

Alvin Reed (born 1944), American football player

Alvin C. Reis (1892–1956), American lawyer and Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge, member of the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly

Alvin Rentería (born 1978), Colombian triple jumper

Alvin Rettig (born 1963), American football player

Alvin Reynolds (born 1959), American football player and coach

Alvin Risk, American record producer

Alvin Robertson (born 1962), NBA basketball player

Alvin Robinson (musician) (1937–1989), American musician

Alvin Robinson (born 1982), American mixed martial arts fighter

Alvin Hirsch Rosenfeld, American scholar of religion

Alvin Roth (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Rouse (born 1982), Barbadian footballer

Alvin Benjamin Rubin (1920–1991), American judge

Alvin Saldaña (born 1976), Chilean lawyer

Alvin Salehi, American technology executive

Alvin J. Salkind (1927–2015), American chemical engineer

Alvin Sanders (born 1952), American voice actor

Alvin Sargent (1927–2019), American screenwriter

Alvin Sariaatmadja (born 1983), Indonesian entrepreneur and investor

Alvin Saunders (1817–1899), governor of Nebraska Territory and later U.S. Senator from Nebraska

Alvin Anthony Schall (born 1944), American judge

Alvin Schwartz (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Scott (born 1955), American basketball player

Alvin See, American politician

Alvin Segal (1933–2022), American-Canadian businessman

Alvin Sella (1919–2013), American painter and educator

Alvin Setzepfandt (1924–2013), American politician

Alvin P. Shapiro (1920–1998), American politician

Alvin Barrett Sheehan (1899–1967), American entertainment businessman and radio host

Alvin Shrier, Canadian scientist

Alvin Simes, lawyer and state legislator in Arkansas

Alvin Sims (born 1974), American basketball player

Alvin Singh (born 1988), Fijian footballer

Alvin Singleton (born 1940), American composer

Alvin Slaughter (born 1955), American singer

Alvin Smith (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Snow (born 1981), American basketball player

Alvin Snyder (1936–2019), American journalist and author

Alvin F. Sortwell (1854–1910), American politician

Alvin Milton Spessard (1960–1924), American politician from Alabama

Alvin Stardust, born Bernard Jewry (1942–2014), English pop singer

Alvin Williams Stokes (1904–1982), African-American investigator for the federal government

Alvin Stoller (1925–1992), American drummer

Alvin Straight (1920–1996), American man who became notable for traveling on a lawnmower

Alvin M. Strauss, American architect

Alvin C. Strutz (1903–1973), American judge

Alvin M. Suchin (1919–1991), American politician

Alvin Sykes (1956–2021), American civil rights activist

Alvin Tan (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Taylor (serial killer), American serial killer

Alvin Taylor (born 1953), American drummer

Alvin Tehau (born 1989), Tahitian footballer

Alvin Tehupeiory (born 1995), Indonesian sprinter

Alvin Teng (born 1965), Filipino basketball player

Alvin W. Thompson (born 1953), American judge

Alvin Thornton, American university administrator

Alvin Todd (1903–1964), American film editor

Alvin Toffler (1928–2016), American writer and futurist

Alvin Toles (born 1963), American football player

Alvin V. Tollestrup (1924–2020), American physicist

Alvin Townley (born 1975), American author

Alvin Tresselt (1916–2000), American children’s book author

Alvin Trivelpiece (1931–2022), American physicist

Alvin S. Trow, American politician

Alvin Twitchell (1892–1955), American football and basketball coach

Alvin Tyler (1925–1998), American musician

Alvin Ubell, American architectural designer

Alvin Valley, American fashion designer

Alvin Vogtle (1918–1994), American lawyer, executive, World War II pilot and POW

Alvin C. Voris (1827–1904), American politician and military officer from Ohio

Alvin Ray Skip Walker (1954–2022), American gridiron football player

Alvin Walton (born 1964), American football player

Alvin F. Weichel (1891–1956), American politician

Alvin M. Weinberg (1915–2006), American nuclear physicist

Alvin C. Weingand (1904–1995), American politician

Alvin White (disambiguation), multiple people

Alvin Wiederspahn (1949–2014), American politician and attorney

Alvin Williams (born 1974), American basketball player

Alvin Williams (American football) (born 1965), American football player

Alvin J. Wirtz (1888–1951), American politician

Alvin Wistert (1916–2005), American football player

Alvin Wolfe (1928–2024), American anthropologist

Alvin Wood, 19th-century American settler

Alvin Wright (1961–2018), American football player

Alvin Wyatt (born 1947), American football player and sports coach

Alvin Wyckoff (1877–1957), American cinematographer

Alvin Yapan, Filipino film director

Alvin Yeo (1962–2022), Singaporean lawyer and politician

Alvin Yeryomin (1932–2023), Russian economist and politician

Alvin Yeung (born 1981), Hong Kong barrister and politician

Alvin C. York (1887–1964), World War I soldier, Medal of Honor awardee

Alvin Young (born 1975), American professional basketball player

Pseudonyms

Alvin, one of many pseudonyms of Ken Laszlo, Eurobeat vocalist

Fictional characters

Alvin Seville, one of the animated characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin Tarleton, father of M.O.D.O.K. in the miniseries M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games

Father Alvin, in the 2018 role-playing video game Deltarune

Alvin Miller, the main protagonist of the alternate history fantasy novel series The Tales of Alvin Maker

Alvin ''Knuckles'' Gable, an antagonist character from 2025 action-comedy film Love Hurts

Alvin Marsh, an character from an supernatural horror movie IT