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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201978peak #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 1978

girls
#4,931
13 births · 1 in 117,835 girls
boys
#197
1,162 births · 1 in 1,413 boys

Top girls' names in 1978

  1. #1Jennifer56,314
  2. #2Melissa28,327
  3. #3Jessica26,102
  4. #4Amy23,213
  5. #5Heather22,270
  6. #6Amanda20,520
  7. #7Angela20,517
  8. #8Sarah19,976
  9. #9Michelle18,856
  10. #10Nicole17,279
  11. #4,931Melvin13

Top boys' names in 1978

  1. #1Michael67,127
  2. #2Jason51,600
  3. #3Christopher47,236
  4. #4David40,684
  5. #5James39,894
  6. #6Matthew34,282
  7. #7John34,014
  8. #8Robert33,374
  9. #9Brian29,432
  10. #10Joseph26,663
  11. #197Melvin1,162
More about 1978

girls

1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 117,835 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 57.0% of the 11,475 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #4,679Wilhelmina14
  2. #4,679Yisel14
  3. #4,679Zully14
  4. #4,931Melvin13
  5. #4,931Aarti13
  6. #4,931Adrain13
  7. #4,931Ailsa13
  8. #5,214Adella12
  9. #5,214Afrika12
  10. #5,214Agustina12

Tied with 282 names at #4,931; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
  1. 4,240Aja#4,652#412
  2. 1,987Kiley#2,606#619
  3. 1,951Kylee#2,838#887
  4. 1,785Winter#2,780#995
  5. 1,620Kylie#2,026#406
Fallers
  1. 913Shalon#868#1,781
  2. 760Farah#854#1,614
  3. 519Tennille#462#981
  4. 398Shawnte#740#1,138
  5. 362Farrah#177#539

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

boys

1,641,837 boys got a published name in 1978; 1 in 1,413 of them was named Melvin, which outranked 97.1% of the 6,762 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melvin
  1. #194Edwin1,230
  2. #195Theodore1,212
  3. #196Marvin1,200
  4. #197Melvin1,162
  5. #198Javier1,157
  6. #199Evan1,156
  7. #200Glenn1,120
Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
  1. 3,237Dequan#4,164#927
  2. 626Nicholaus#1,367#741
  3. 617Nicklaus#1,515#898
  4. 578Zebulon#1,476#898
  5. 424Anwar#1,121#697
Fallers
  1. 674Kinte#834#1,508
  2. 668Kunta#572#1,240
  3. 417Telly#732#1,149
  4. 415Lesley#937#1,352
  5. 310Amin#904#1,214

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

See the top 100 for 1978