Alvin comes from the Old English Ælfwine, from ælf, "elf", and wine, "friend", so it means "elf friend", a name that survived the Norman Conquest in a few English families. Americans know it from choreographer Alvin Ailey and from Alvin, the mischievous leader of the Chipmunks. The name was a top 100 choice in the 1920s and 1930s, stood at number 456 in 2000 and ranks number 838 among boys in 2025.