Melvin

Last seen for girls in 1991 at #13,147 · #958 for boys in 2025, 243 births
Given to boys 99.1% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1926 · 4,194 births
Debut · boys
103 births
In top 100 · boys
55 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
244,936
since 1880

Melvin over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201942peak #47, 1926boys
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#958243
2024#871277
2023#820299
2022#827300
2021#798307
2020#752323
2019#758314
2018#718334
2017#727328
2016#727337
2015#687365
2014#664386
2013#617402
2012#618393
2011#614390
2010#556456
2009#505535
2008#467592
2007#443633
2006#423673
2005#424627
2004#426613
2003#397656
2002#315908
2001#452534
2000#455525
1999#425555
1998#413577
1997#398590
1996#395598
1995#365657
1994#351699
1993#341729
1992#324784
1991#13,1475#299853
1990#9,2478#277941
1989#8,7618#275900
1988#6,27712#263892
1987#7,3539#264824
1986#5,75712#258862
1985#6,03111#249907
1984#5,89911#241908
1983#8,0477#236948
1982#4,94514#2261,035
1981#8,1287#2271,052
1980#4,14818#2181,103
1979#4,23117#2041,158
1978#4,93113#1971,162
1977#4,42515#1991,144
1976#3,40720#1901,165
1975#4,37014#1871,208
1974#2,83525#1901,197
1973#4,87111#1701,380
1972#4,52312#1711,456
1971#2,95523#1721,578
1970#2,57728#1711,678
1969#3,01220#1621,770
1968#3,45615#1501,798
1967#2,78120#1501,844
1966#2,66821#1422,044
1965#2,53823#1382,230
1964#2,41226#1342,432
1963#2,30627#1332,545
1962#1,94735#1372,577
1961#2,35926#1282,842
1960#2,15029#1253,011
1959#2,67819#1223,170
1958#2,37623#1223,149
1957#2,06728#1133,397
1956#2,19425#1013,638
1955#1,83933#953,646
1954#1,70236#923,711
1953#1,83430#913,811
1952#1,61136#913,920
1951#2,06423#883,837
1950#1,52437#873,886
1949#1,56435#823,972
1948#1,90125#814,057
1947#1,63334#854,169
1946#1,58331#863,742
1945#1,66025#783,408
1944#1,40133#673,745
1943#1,44233#634,069
1942#1,59227#604,188
1941#1,44629#563,951
1940#1,21836#533,935
1939#1,32731#513,853
1938#1,54724#543,818
1937#1,49325#503,890
1936#1,11540#533,730
1935#1,60622#573,600
1934#1,29231#553,702
1933#1,19735#513,588
1932#1,23734#513,776
1931#1,19936#513,700
1930#1,08446#504,048
1929#1,17440#494,100
1928#94762#484,249
1927#1,17243#484,202
1926#1,35734#474,194
1925#1,40933#504,146
1924#1,06953#484,168
1923#1,15844#484,012
1922#1,16843#503,908
1921#1,22240#533,887
1920#1,28236#543,717
1919#1,48128#563,384
1918#1,41130#563,469
1917#1,55224#573,155
1916#1,58123#572,984
1915#1,80018#602,780
1914#1,17527#592,064
1913#1,60114#611,642
1912#1,35216#711,185
1911#1,45011#73594
1910#1,26713#75482
1909#1,4719#71448
1908#1,8626#75366
1907#1,6397#78331
1906#82285
1905#1,9315#83291
1904#92234
1903#88230
1902#1,5946#86248
1901#97176
1900#102231
1899#106166
1898#115159
1897#1,5555#129128
1896#115158
1895#1,5925#111158
1894#128125
1893#137111
1892#144114
1891#126108
1890#14698
1889#15097
1888#131119
1887#13495
1886#16883
1885#125110
1884#14595
1883#12996
1882#15986
1881#15976
1880#126103
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Melvin was already there! It came in at #126, and was given to 103 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1887, when fewer than 120 boys a year got the name.

Where Melvin is popular in 1942

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Melvin, so not publishedAKMaine: #110 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 632 boysMEVermont: #61 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 260 boysVTNew Hampshire: #77 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 407 boysNHWashington: #54 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 254 boysWAIdaho: #45 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 194 boysIDMontana: #43 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 195 boysMTNorth Dakota: #43 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 190 boysNDMinnesota: #68 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 377 boysMNIllinois: #70 for boys · 196 births · 1 in 377 boysILWisconsin: #80 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 462 boysWIMichigan: #62 for boys · 177 births · 1 in 327 boysMINew York: #83 for boys · 236 births · 1 in 500 boysNYMassachusetts: #108 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 1,071 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Melvin, so not publishedRIOregon: #49 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 243 boysORNevada: #31 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 95 boysNVWyoming: #41 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 173 boysWYSouth Dakota: #30 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 139 boysSDIowa: #68 for boys · 65 births · 1 in 352 boysIAIndiana: #57 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 298 boysINOhio: #58 for boys · 208 births · 1 in 328 boysOHPennsylvania: #68 for boys · 239 births · 1 in 390 boysPANew Jersey: #91 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 720 boysNJConnecticut: #140 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,392 boysCTCalifornia: #76 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 380 boysCAUtah: #64 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 279 boysUTColorado: #51 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 266 boysCONebraska: #61 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 290 boysNEMissouri: #45 for boys · 152 births · 1 in 222 boysMOKentucky: #73 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 366 boysKYWest Virginia: #72 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 360 boysWVVirginia: #35 for boys · 182 births · 1 in 162 boysVAMaryland: #37 for boys · 107 births · 1 in 171 boysMDDelaware: #54 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 283 boysDEArizona: #81 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 287 boysAZNew Mexico: #112 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 404 boysNMKansas: #45 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 228 boysKSArkansas: #43 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 223 boysARTennessee: #58 for boys · 107 births · 1 in 298 boysTNNorth Carolina: #50 for boys · 169 births · 1 in 246 boysNCSouth Carolina: #41 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 205 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #40 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 204 boysDCOklahoma: #55 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 256 boysOKLouisiana: #42 for boys · 137 births · 1 in 191 boysLAMississippi: #53 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 276 boysMSAlabama: #54 for boys · 107 births · 1 in 305 boysALGeorgia: #46 for boys · 160 births · 1 in 221 boysGAHawaii: #16 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 62 boysHITexas: #58 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 302 boysTXFlorida: #97 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 490 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Hawaii#16 · 1 in 62
  2. South Dakota#30 · 1 in 139
  3. Nevada#31 · 1 in 95
  4. Virginia#35 · 1 in 162
  5. Maryland#37 · 1 in 171

Best ever in a state: #11 in Hawaii, 1943.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#16681 in 62
South Dakota#30371 in 139
Nevada#3191 in 95
Virginia#351821 in 162
Maryland#371071 in 171
District of Columbia#40451 in 204
South Carolina#411161 in 205
Wyoming#41121 in 173
Louisiana#421371 in 191
Arkansas#43941 in 223
Montana#43251 in 195
North Dakota#43301 in 190
Idaho#45251 in 194
Kansas#45671 in 228
Missouri#451521 in 222
Georgia#461601 in 221
Oregon#49421 in 243
North Carolina#501691 in 246
Colorado#51401 in 266
Mississippi#53861 in 276
Alabama#541071 in 305
Delaware#5481 in 283
Washington#54691 in 254
Oklahoma#55841 in 256
Indiana#571151 in 298
Ohio#582081 in 328
Tennessee#581071 in 298
Texas#582331 in 302
Nebraska#61371 in 290
Vermont#61111 in 260
Michigan#621771 in 327
Utah#64251 in 279
Iowa#68651 in 352
Minnesota#68711 in 377
Pennsylvania#682391 in 390
Illinois#701961 in 377
West Virginia#72581 in 360
Kentucky#73821 in 366
California#761921 in 380
New Hampshire#77101 in 407
Wisconsin#80641 in 462
Arizona#81211 in 287
New York#832361 in 500
New Jersey#91521 in 720
Florida#97381 in 490
Massachusetts#108371 in 1,071
Maine#110121 in 632
New Mexico#112151 in 404
Connecticut#140121 in 1,392
Alaska
Rhode Island

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Melvin
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 87 spots since 2024 (#871#958)
  • 206 spots since 2020 (#752#958)
  • 271 spots since 2015 (#687#958)
  • Biggest jump: 137 spots in 2002 (#452#315)
  • Biggest drop: 87 spots in 2025 (#871#958)
Rise & fade · boys
46 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1926 at #47 (4,194 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 40 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 55 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 55 yrs · run 1901–1955
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 261
  • Highest: 1 in 261 boys born in 1928 were named Melvin (0.38%)
  • Latest: 1 in 7,029 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #47 in 1926, was only 1 in 265 (0.38%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 16.6% of all boys named Melvin (40,583) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s960#125 (1885)#143
1890s1,325#106 (1899)#126
1900s2,840#71 (1909)#85
1910s21,739#56 (1918)#63
1920s40,583#47 (1926)#50
1930s37,705#50 (1930)#52
1940s39,236#53 (1940)#71
1950s36,165#87 (1950)#100
1960s23,093#125 (1960)#140
1970s13,126#170 (1973)#185
1980s9,431#218 (1980)#246
1990s6,983#277 (1990)#359
2000s6,296#315 (2002)#431
2010s3,705#556 (2010)#669
2020s1,749#752 (2020)#838

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

Melvin in 1942

girls
#1,592
27 births · 1 in 50,027 girls
boys
#60
4,188 births · 1 in 330 boys

Top girls' names in 1942

  1. #1Mary63,256
  2. #2Barbara44,739
  3. #3Patricia39,465
  4. #4Linda31,613
  5. #5Carol30,272
  6. #6Sandra24,994
  7. #7Judith24,792
  8. #8Nancy23,327
  9. #9Betty21,659
  10. #10Carolyn19,978
  11. #1,592Melvin27

Top boys' names in 1942

  1. #1James77,182
  2. #2Robert71,845
  3. #3John66,043
  4. #4William54,890
  5. #5Richard43,593
  6. #6David35,905
  7. #7Charles35,854
  8. #8Thomas31,100
  9. #9Ronald27,138
  10. #10Donald23,955
  11. #60Melvin4,188
More about 1942

girls

1,350,719 girls got a published name in 1942; 1 in 50,027 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 70.4% of the 5,378 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #1,559Waneta28
  2. #1,559Willette28
  3. #1,559Zita28
  4. #1,592Melvin27
  5. #1,592Birtha27
  6. #1,592Carline27
  7. #1,592Celine27
  8. #1,630Aloha26
  9. #1,630Amie26
  10. #1,630Annabell26

Tied with 37 names at #1,592; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 3,567Michal#4,420#853
  2. 1,885Merrily#2,397#512
  3. 1,081Merrilee#1,954#873
  4. 783Jerrilyn#1,610#827
  5. 760Candace#1,418#658
Fallers
  1. 354Rebekah#924#1,278
  2. 350Leatha#830#1,180
  3. 307Nella#993#1,300
  4. 272Arla#934#1,206
  5. 262Vivien#735#997

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

boys

1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 330 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 98.5% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #57Leonard4,370
  2. #58Francis4,297
  3. #59Samuel4,190
  4. #60Melvin4,188
  5. #61Ernest4,079
  6. #62Earl4,050
  7. #63Dale3,863
Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 2,993Macarthur#3,505#512
  2. 1,546Mcarthur#1,903#357
  3. 655Collin#1,588#933
  4. 514Delmas#1,254#740
  5. 390Colin#713#323
Fallers
  1. 525Otho#971#1,496
  2. 440Florian#918#1,358
  3. 421Martha#960#1,381
  4. 407Watson#951#1,358
  5. 371Gaylen#987#1,358

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

See the top 100 for 1942