Meaning: Its source is calvus, a Latin name meaning "Bald."

Languages: This boy's name is used in English.

Nicknames: Cal

Feminine Forms: Calvina

Non-English Forms: Calvino

Popularity: The name Calvin ranked 216th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 155th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: The use of the modern form of this name began in honor of the Protestant theologian known in the English-speaking world as John Calvin (1509-64). In fact, the French-born reformer was known to his own people as Jean Chauvin. (This surname was the same as that of a later French figure whose extreme zeal for his country gave rise to the term ''chauvinism.'')

The French surname, if not ultimately derived from the Latin ''calvus,'' had the same meaning, and when the name was translated into other languages the Latin term was used as a point of reference.