boys' name ★ peaked 1928

Melvin

Meaning bad Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #959 Trend ↓ Falling 12%

Variant of the Scottish surname Melville, from a place name Malleville in Normandy, from Latin mala (“bad”) + Old French ville (“settlement”).

Rank 2025
#959
among boys · ↓87 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
243
named Melvin · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,029
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1928
4,311 babies
All-time total
247,075
#159 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Melvin popularity over time

247,075 babies have been named Melvin since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 960 960 96 – #125
1890s 10 1,325 1,335 134 +39% #106
1900s 33 2,840 2,873 287 +115% #71
1910s 204 21,739 21,943 2,194 +664% #56
1920s 428 40,583 41,011 4,101 +87% #47
1930s 324 37,705 38,029 3,803 -7% #50
1940s 308 39,236 39,544 3,954 +4% #53
1950s 290 36,165 36,455 3,646 -8% #87
1960s 242 23,093 23,335 2,334 -36% #125
1970s 178 13,126 13,304 1,330 -43% #170
1980s 109 9,431 9,540 954 -28% #218
1990s 13 6,983 6,996 700 -27% #277
2000s – 6,296 6,296 630 -10% #315
2010s – 3,705 3,705 371 -41% #556
2020s (to 2025) – 1,749 1,749 292 -21% #752

Where Melvin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 237 0.14 outside top 500
2027 232 0.14 outside top 500
2028 228 0.13 outside top 500
2029 225 0.13 outside top 500
2030 222 0.13 outside top 500

Where Melvin is most popular

Boys named Melvin per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.165 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Melvin born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 148 0.557 +238%
Maryland 58 0.486 +195%
Wisconsin 40 0.338 +105%
Virginia 53 0.279 +69%
Missouri 37 0.267 +62%
Kentucky 25 0.249 +51%
Ohio 64 0.241 +46%
Iowa 16 0.232 +41%
Michigan 46 0.225 +36%
Indiana 36 0.225 +36%
New York 96 0.222 +34%
Tennessee 40 0.222 +34%
Louisiana 20 0.196 +18%
Minnesota 22 0.179 +9%
Florida 81 0.171 ≈ national
New Jersey 33 0.164 ≈ national
Georgia 40 0.158 ≈ national
North Carolina 37 0.145 -12%
Texas 117 0.133 -20%
Illinois 30 0.117 -29%
Massachusetts 15 0.109 -34%
California 95 0.104 -37%
Kansas 6 0.087 -47%
Oklahoma 7 0.079 -52%
South Carolina 8 0.077 -53%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -55%
Arizona 10 0.061 -63%
Alabama 5 0.046 -72%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Melvin

Melvin is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #959 in 2025 with 243 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 247,075 American babies have been named Melvin. Its peak came in 1928, when 4,311 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Melvin stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Melvin?

The median living Melvin is about 64 years old; half are between 46 and 75. An estimated 113 thousand people named Melvin are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Melvin year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 243 #959
2024 – – 277 #872
2023 – – 299 #822
2022 – – 300 #829
2021 – – 307 #799
2020 – – 323 #752
2019 – – 314 #758
2018 – – 334 #719
2017 – – 328 #731
2016 – – 337 #727
2015 – – 365 #690
2014 – – 386 #665
2013 – – 402 #618
2012 – – 393 #618
2011 – – 390 #614
2010 – – 456 #556
2009 – – 535 #506
2008 – – 592 #467
2007 – – 633 #443
2006 – – 673 #423
2005 – – 627 #424
2004 – – 613 #428
2003 – – 656 #397
2002 – – 908 #315
2001 – – 534 #453
2000 – – 525 #455
1995 – – 657 #365
1990 8 #9,839 941 #277
1985 11 #6,309 907 #249
1980 18 #4,248 1,103 #218
1975 14 #4,499 1,208 #187
1970 28 #2,625 1,678 #171
1965 23 #2,585 2,230 #138
1960 29 #2,174 3,011 #125
1955 33 #1,867 3,646 #95
1950 37 #1,542 3,886 #87
1945 25 #1,689 3,408 #78
1940 36 #1,235 3,935 #53
1935 22 #1,641 3,600 #57
1930 46 #1,098 4,048 #50
1925 33 #1,433 4,146 #50
1920 36 #1,303 3,717 #54
1915 18 #1,853 2,780 #60
1910 13 #1,313 482 #75
1905 5 #2,136 291 #83
1900 – – 231 #102
1895 5 #1,746 158 #111
1890 – – 98 #146
1885 – – 110 #125
1880 – – 103 #129

Famous people named Melvin

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Melvin Laird Melvin Laird American politician and writer (1922–2016) Contemporary
  2. 2 Melvin Calvin Melvin Calvin American biochemist 1911–1997 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Melvin Brown Melvin Brown Mexican footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  4. 4 Melvin Schwartz Melvin Schwartz American physicist 1932–2006 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Melvin, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Melvin?

The median living Melvin is about 64 years old. Half of all living Melvins are between 46 and 75 years old.

How many people named Melvin are alive today?

An estimated 113 thousand people named Melvin are alive in the United States, based on 247,075 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Melvin mean?

Variant of the Scottish surname Melville, from a place name Malleville in Normandy, from Latin mala (“bad”) + Old French ville (“settlement”).

How popular is the name Melvin in 2025?

Melvin ranked #959 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 243 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Melvin?

247,075 babies have been named Melvin in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Melvin most popular?

Melvin peaked in 1928, when 4,311 newborns received the name.

Is Melvin a boy or girl name?

Melvin is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Melvin rising or falling?

Melvin is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Melvin become more popular?

Melvin is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 222 boys named Melvin in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Melvin?

Well-known people named Melvin include Melvin Laird (politician), Melvin Calvin (chemist), Melvin Brown (soccer player).

Names like Melvin

Names that sound and feel close to Melvin: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Melvin with similar names → More names starting with M →