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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for information about <Gavin> as a name for a mid-15th century nobleman, and about your ideas for your arms. Here is what we have found.
<Gavin> is a Frankish, French, English, and Scots name. It is recorded in Tours, France in the 7th century and was quite common in England and France in a variety of spellings throughout the Middle Ages. It spread to the Lowlands of Scotland in the 15th century and was common there by the early 16th century. At a fairly early date, it was confused with <Gawain>, the Arthurian character name. In England, it is recorded in these forms [1].
Gawyne (1273)
Gawyn (1379)
Gawin (1530)
Gavin (1604)
<Gawayne>, <Gawn>, and <Gawen> were also common in medieval England [1]. In Lowland Scotland (where they spoke Scots, a language very similar to contemporary English), recorded forms include these [2].
Gawane (1521)
Gavinn (1520, 1521)
Gavann (1501)
Gavane (1502)
In France, we find <Gauvain> and <Gavin> [1].
To build a mid-15th century name, you'll need a surname. At this point in history, most people in England, Lowland Scotland, and France were using inherited surnames, much as we do today. There are many types of surnames that you might use, but in all these countries, many noble families had surnames based on place names. There are far too many possibilities for us to make suggestions. If you can narrow down where you want to place your persona, we can be more specific. If you want an English persona, you can find many appropriate choices in the book _A Dictionary of English Surnames_, by P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson (Oxford University Press, 1995).
If you want your persona to be the son of a wealthy 15th century nobleman, then you may want to research the period and choose a particular noble family. You could use their surname and you could use a variant of their arms. This would be an excellent basis for your re-creations. If you'd like to take this approach, we can suggest some books where you could start your research.
You wrote that you want yours arms to have a red chevron on a white field, with two stars in the upper left corner and possily a red swordfish in base. This is a good start, but it has a couple features which aren't compatible with medieval heraldic style. I'll point out these problems and suggest a couple places you can look to get an idea of the kinds of designs that were used in medieval arms.
Medieval heraldic style tended to emphasize balance and symmetry. Sets of identical charges were placed in balancing arrangements. It is essentially unknown for a pair of stars both to be placed in the upper left corner. Chevrons were often accompanied by a pair of charges, one in each upper corner, or by three charges, with two in the upper corners and one below.
We're not quite sure what you meant when you described the stars as like the Star of Bethlehem. If you mean a star with the bottom point extended downward, then I'm afraid you've hit on a poor choice. Although this kind of star is quite common in modern design and fairly common in Society arms, it was unknown in medieval heraldry.
We do not know examples of swordfish in medieval arms. It isn't impossible that one could have been used -- the swordfish is fairly distinctive and might have been chosen as a heraldc charge. Of course, it is always better re-creation to use charges that we know were used in period.
You may find it helpful to look at some examples of medieval arms in order to get an idea of the kinds of designs that are typical. One excellent source is _The Dictionary of Heraldry_ by Joseph Foster (New York: Arch Cape Press, 1989). Many Society heralds have copies, and it is often available remaindered in bookstores. You can also find some pages of pictures of medieval arms on-line; there are a few pointers from the Academy of Saint Gabriel library
<http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/>
I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Pedro de Alcazar, Rouland Carre, and Effric nin Kennyoch.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd
ed. (Oxford University Press).
[2] The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 (1501-9) & 10
(1518-21), in the Aberdeen City Archives.