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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Melvyn

Melvyn was not among the names given to 5 or more boys in 2025. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 323rd with 293 babies. More babies were named Melvyn in the 1940s than in any other decade.

Meaning (as Melvin) from Melville, a Norman place name · Scottish, French

Rank in 2025
Not rankedboys
Babies in 2025
0boys
Girls and boys
Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
Peak year
1938293 babies
Total since 1880
4,370babies recorded

What does the name Melvyn mean?

Melvyn is a spelling of Melvin, pronounced the same way, so it shares Melvin's meaning and origin.

Melvin is, according to Wiktionary, a variant of the Scottish surname Melville, from Malleville in Normandy, a place name from Latin mala 'bad' and Old French ville 'settlement', so perhaps 'poor settlement'. In Scotland and Ireland the name was also used to anglicize Gaelic names such as Mac Gille Bheathain. Melvin was a common American boys' name in the early 20th century.

Malleville (Old French, “place name”)ville (Old French, “settlement”)

How sure is this? Probable. Some families' Melvin comes from Gaelic names instead.

Related names: Melville, Mel, Melvyn.

See also: Scottish names, names from places.

Sources for this meaning

Melvyn popularity since 1880

0125250375500 1900192019401960198020002020
Boys Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few girls are given the name too: 10 since 1929.

YearRank (boys)Babies (boys)
2025——
2020#6,89512
2010#8,5649
2000#7,9428
1990#5,25510
1980#3,19714
1970#2,82712
1960#1,51029
1950#1,15539
1940#359254
1930#1,14738
1920#1,57824
1910——
1900——
1890——
1880——

How popular is Melvyn, counting every spelling?

Melvyn is a spelling of Melvin, a name family that ranked #921 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 243 boys in 2025.

SpellingBabies 2025Official rankBabies 2021–2025
Melvin243#9591,426

Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.

How old are people named Melvyn?

About 1,600 people born in the US named Melvyn are alive today, with a median age of 76; half are between 49 and 84. That makes Melvyn a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.

Melvyn by state

How common Melvyn was among boys born in each state in 1936–1940, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (9.6×), New York (3.0×), California (2.1×). In 33 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: fewer than 5 a yearWA–Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: 0.17 per 1,000 babiesMN0.17Illinois: 0.26 per 1,000 babiesIL0.26Michigan: 0.28 per 1,000 babiesMI0.28New York: 0.64 per 1,000 babiesNY0.64Massachusetts: 0.27 per 1,000 babiesMA0.27Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesIN0.05Ohio: 0.23 per 1,000 babiesOH0.23Pennsylvania: 0.26 per 1,000 babiesPA0.26New Jersey: 0.30 per 1,000 babiesNJ0.30Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.44 per 1,000 babiesCA0.44Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: fewer than 5 a yearCO–Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesMO0.04Kentucky: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesKY0.04West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: 0.06 per 1,000 babiesVA0.06Maryland: fewer than 5 a yearMD–Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: fewer than 5 a yearAZ–New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesTN0.04North Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearNC–South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: 0.08 per 1,000 babiesLA0.08Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesGA0.03Hawaii: 2.0 per 1,000 babiesHI2.0Texas: 0.13 per 1,000 babiesTX0.13Florida: fewer than 5 a yearFL–
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Melvyn, boys, 1936–1940. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Melvyn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Melvyn, they share its era and feel.

Questions about the name Melvyn

What does Melvyn mean?

Melvyn is a spelling of Melvin, which means “from Melville, a Norman place name” (Scottish, French origin). Certainty: probable.

How popular is the name Melvyn?

Melvyn was not among the names given to 5 or more boys in 2025. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 323rd with 293 babies. More babies were named Melvyn in the 1940s than in any other decade.

Is Melvyn a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Melvyn in the US.

Where was Melvyn most popular?

In 1936–1940, Melvyn was most common in Hawaii (2.03 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and California.