# Melvin (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/melvin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “bad”, “settlement” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɛlvɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 247,075 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 244,936 / 2,139 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 381, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Variant of the Scottish surname Melville, from a place name Malleville in Normandy, from Latin mala (“bad”) + Old French ville (“settlement”). * Used to Anglicize Mac Gille Beathain in Scotland and Ó Maoil Mhín in Ireland.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 15 | 4,564 |
| 1978 | 13 | 5,100 |
| 1979 | 17 | 4,355 |
| 1980 | 18 | 4,248 |
| 1981 | 7 | 8,693 |
| 1982 | 14 | 5,105 |
| 1983 | 7 | 8,646 |
| 1984 | 11 | 6,145 |
| 1985 | 11 | 6,309 |
| 1986 | 12 | 6,021 |
| 1987 | 9 | 7,776 |
| 1988 | 12 | 6,532 |
| 1989 | 8 | 9,327 |
| 1990 | 8 | 9,839 |
| 1991 | 5 | 14,573 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 390 | 614 |
| 2012 | 393 | 618 |
| 2013 | 402 | 618 |
| 2014 | 386 | 665 |
| 2015 | 365 | 690 |
| 2016 | 337 | 727 |
| 2017 | 328 | 731 |
| 2018 | 334 | 719 |
| 2019 | 314 | 758 |
| 2020 | 323 | 752 |
| 2021 | 307 | 799 |
| 2022 | 300 | 829 |
| 2023 | 299 | 822 |
| 2024 | 277 | 872 |
| 2025 | 243 | 959 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 12 | 1,788 |
| 2012 | 10 | 2,117 |
| 2013 | 15 | 1,539 |
| 2014 | 18 | 1,370 |
| 2015 | 7 | 2,707 |
| 2016 | 9 | 2,335 |
| 2017 | 20 | 1,289 |
| 2018 | 6 | 3,011 |
| 2019 | 11 | 1,986 |
| 2020 | 7 | 2,682 |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,125 |
| 2022 | 14 | 1,692 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1,461 |
| 2024 | 20 | 1,322 |
| 2025 | 15 | 1,705 |

## People named Melvin

- Melvin Calvin, American biochemist (1911–1997)
- Melvin Schwartz, American experimental physicist (1932-2006)
- Melvin Laird, 20th-century American politician (1922–2016)
- Melvin Twellaar, Dutch rower
- Melvin Frank, American screenwriter and director (1913-1988)
- Melvin Bard, French association football player
- Melvin Van Peebles, American filmmaker (1932–2021)
- Melvin Stewart, American swimmer
- Melvin Purvis, FBI Agent (1903–1960)
- Melvin Burgess, British children's writer
- Melvin Mastil, French association football player
- Melvin Franklin, American bass singer (1942–1995)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.