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

Narrative: There is no doubt that the use of the modern male form of this name began in honor of the Protestant theologian known to the English-speaking world as John Calvin (1509-1564). In fact, the French-born reformer was known to his own people as Jean Chauvin. (His surname was the same as that of a later French figure whose extreme zeal for his country gave rise to the term ''chauvinist.'')

The French surname, if not ultimately derived from the Latin ''calvus,'' certainly had the same meaning. So when the international reach of Jean Chauvin's ideas made it desirable to translate his name into other languages, the Latin word, which had been the root of a Roman clan name, was used as a point of reference.