Melvin

“Bad town; originally a Norman French place name” — Latin via Old French origin

Boy's name · #959 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Melvin — on the books since 1880, #959 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 245,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Mel is a short form of Melvin.

Around the world: #27 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #65 in Sweden (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 25 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Melvins

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)

In stories & tradition

Melvin Frohike — The X-Files · The Lone Gunmen
Melvin Potter — Daredevil
Melvin Melville — Cow Belles

What Melvins become

Among 681 notable people named Melvin:

Sports figures appear 1.82× more often than among typical names — e.g. Melvin Twellaar, Dutch rower.

Similar names: Leonard · Mervin · Gilbert · Quentin · Calvin · Marlin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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