Melva

Last seen for girls in 2024 at #15,293 · Last seen for boys in 1941 at #3,133
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1937 · 300 births
Debut · girls
6 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
14,155
since 1880

Melva over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Melva has never cracked the top 300 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #371, 1937girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025
2024#15,2935
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017#15,9025
2016
2015
2014#16,5135
2013#14,5826
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007#15,4916
2006#13,6067
2005#13,0107
2004#12,7617
2003
2002
2001
2000#11,8017
1999#14,4115
1998
1997#9,8028
1996#8,8129
1995#8,07910
1994#8,12210
1993#5,67316
1992#9,4918
1991#4,65021
1990#3,62329
1989#5,04917
1988#4,17221
1987#5,31214
1986#4,53917
1985#5,07714
1984#3,61322
1983#2,85330
1982#3,53023
1981#2,65734
1980#1,98153
1979#1,91754
1978#2,23741
1977#1,95250
1976#2,13540
1975#1,87748
1974#1,57860
1973#1,62256
1972#1,54160
1971#1,25388
1970#1,63757
1969#1,20885
1968#1,34768
1967#1,19679
1966#1,07296
1965#989110
1964#1,047107
1963#1,073101
1962#957123
1961#972123
1960#851149
1959#941124
1958#780164
1957#738185
1956#677201
1955#675193
1954#633207
1953#613208
1952#578224
1951#521253
1950#566218
1949#545235
1948#578210
1947#535247
1946#524224
1945#469233
1944#482220
1943#441283
1942#453264
1941#424262#3,1336
1940#399290#3,1306
1939#401280#3,4805
1938#378308#3,5345
1937#371300
1936#384274
1935#381276
1934#417246
1933#407244
1932#376296
1931#392277
1930#407258
1929#389300
1928#407276
1927#405285
1926#422263#3,1398
1925#416276
1924#408288
1923#390291
1922#430239
1921#403284
1920#396279
1919#418241
1918#465206
1917#431220
1916#416225
1915#419207
1914#470135
1913#461117
1912#461106
1911#56457
1910#48071
1909#57445
1908#49354
1907#50051
1906#57837
1905#50645
1904#52939
1903#53936
1902#61229
1901#63025
1900#76023
1899#68021
1898#82117
1897#78616
1896#79017
1895#78816
1894#90512
1893#95510
1892#63820
1891#9439
1890#79112
1889#83910
1888#79311
1887#8608
1886
1885
1884
1883#9205
1882
1881
1880#7386
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Melva was already there! It came in at #738, and was given to 6 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1881–1886, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Melva
Momentum · girls
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2024
  • Biggest jump: 305 spots in 1892 (#943#638)
  • Biggest drop: 317 spots in 1893 (#638#955)
Rise & fade · girls
57 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1937 at #371 (300 births)
  • Births halved by 1959, 22 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 79 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 79 yrs · run 1887–1962
Share of babies · girls
1 in 3,547
  • Highest: 1 in 3,547 girls born in 1937 were named Melva (0.03%)
  • Latest: 1 in 324,038 girls born in 2024 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 19.6% of all girls named Melva (2,781) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s40#738 (1880)#830
1890s150#638 (1892)#810
1900s384#493 (1908)#572
1910s1,585#416 (1916)#459
1920s2,781#389 (1929)#407
1930s2,759#371 (1937)#391
1940s2,468#399 (1940)#485
1950s1,977#521 (1951)#672
1960s1,041#851 (1960)#1,071
1970s554#1,253 (1971)#1,775
1980s245#1,981 (1980)#3,878
1990s116#3,623 (1990)#8,074
2000s34#11,801 (2000)#13,334
2010s16#14,582 (2013)#15,666
2020s5#15,293 (2024)#15,293

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Melva in 1940

girls
#399
290 births · 1 in 3,943 girls
boys
#3,130
6 births · 1 in 193,195 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #399Melva290

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #3,130Melva6
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 3,943 of them was named Melva, which outranked 92.1% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melva
  1. #395Jeannine294
  2. #397Guadalupe293
  3. #398Alta291
  4. #399Melva290
  5. #399Effie290
  6. #399Lizzie290
  7. #402Eddie288
  8. #402Virgie288
  9. #404Dianna287

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 193,195 of them was named Melva, which outranked 20.5% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melva
  1. #2,871Winthrop7
  2. #2,871Zebedee7
  3. #2,871Zenon7
  4. #3,130Melva6
  5. #3,130Abbie6
  6. #3,130Abdul6
  7. #3,130Ad6
  8. #3,459Abbey5
  9. #3,459Abron5
  10. #3,459Abundio5

Tied with 328 names at #3,130; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1940