The surname Melvin
A French place surname, carried by 20,008 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈmɛlvɪn/ 2 syllables Soundex M415 Also a first name
Origin
French origin
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.
Melvin is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
One of 791 French surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 20,008 people named Melvin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 15,431 Americans. That is up 2.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 19,523.
Who is named Melvin
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
68% of people named Melvin identified as white (not Hispanic), 27% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 68%
- Black (not Hispanic) 27%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
- Two or more races 1.9%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%
Famous Melvins
6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Murray MelvinBritish actor (1932–2023)
- Allan MelvinAmerican actor (1923–2008)
- Eric MelvinAmerican punk musician, born 1966
- Rachel MelvinAmerican actress, born 1985
- Chasity MelvinAmerican basketball player (born 1976)
- Bob MelvinAmerican baseball player and manager, born 1961
Notable Melvins come mostly from the United States (5) and the United Kingdom (1).
Other French surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname Melvin come from?
- 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.
- How common is the surname Melvin?
- 20,008 people in the United States had the surname Melvin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 15,431 Americans. It ranked 1,795th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Melvin?
- In the 2010 Census, 68% of people named Melvin identified as white (not Hispanic), and 27% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Melvin?
- Murray Melvin, British actor (1932–2023), followed by Allan Melvin.
- Where is the surname Melvin most common?
- Wikidata records people named Melvin in the United States and the United Kingdom.
- How do you pronounce Melvin?
- Melvin is /ˈmɛlvɪn/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Melvin?
- Melvin is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
- Is the surname Melvin getting more or less common?
- More common. 19,523 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 20,008 in 2010, up 2.5%.
- Is Melvin also a first name?
- Yes. Melvin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.