Melvin

Meaning: Bad town
Origin: Originally a Norman French place name (from Latin via Old French)

Nicknames: Mel

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

Popularity over time

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.

Across the states

See where Melvin is more common.

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

Around the world

See how Melvin ranks in other countries and regions.

#27 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #65 in Sweden (2025) · #135 in Norway (2025) · #812 in France (2025) · #948 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,342 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,479 in Belgium (2025) · #1,762 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,092 in Canada (2024).

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^fr — The X-Files (film)
Melvin Potter — Daredevil (TV series)
Melvin Melville — Cow Belles (TV series)

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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