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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #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.

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 1956

girls
#2,194
25 births · 1 in 80,308 girls
boys
#101
3,638 births · 1 in 581 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #2,194Melvin25

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #101Melvin3,638
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 80,308 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 68.2% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #2,151Trinidad26
  2. #2,151Verona26
  3. #2,151Vonna26
  4. #2,194Melvin25
  5. #2,194Almeda25
  6. #2,194Andre25
  7. #2,194Audry25
  8. #2,249Alda24
  9. #2,249Alethia24
  10. #2,249Alita24

Tied with 54 names at #2,194; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 993Sheena#1,839#846
  2. 770Glendora#1,733#963
  3. 684Leesa#1,209#525
  4. 543Marisa#1,074#531
  5. 537Dani#1,383#846
Fallers
  1. 513Sheilah#663#1,176
  2. 481Jeryl#768#1,249
  3. 344Jacalyn#496#840
  4. 325Roni#536#861
  5. 314Florine#984#1,298

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

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 581 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 97.7% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #98Vincent3,756
  2. #99Dean3,712
  3. #100Rick3,655
  4. #101Melvin3,638
  5. #102Fred3,578
  6. #103Bradley3,519
  7. #104Lee3,511
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 1,847Jace#2,764#917
  2. 678Rich#1,572#894
  3. 590Broderick#1,273#683
  4. 559Elvis#921#362
  5. 513Tracey#1,419#906
Fallers
  1. 351Adolphus#906#1,257
  2. 336Randolf#949#1,285
  3. 279Cordell#792#1,071
  4. 272Rudolfo#885#1,157
  5. 269Aurelio#949#1,218

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

See the top 100 for 1956