Total births
14,155
Girls' name · since 1880
Melva
Melva has 14,155 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1938 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #15310
- among girls today
- 14,155
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 14%
- more common than other girls
14,155 babies have been named Melva since 1880, making it today's #15310 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melva has been recorded 14,155 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #15310 nationally and more common than 14% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #15310 among girls today
- 14,155 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 14% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Melva is currently the #15310 girls' name in America, more common than 14% of girls - 14,155 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #15310
- among girls today
- 14,155
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 14%
- more common than other girls
Melva vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15310
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 14% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Melva was born in this single decade.
1938
Single peak year
308 babies were named Melva in 1938 - its busiest year on record.
How Melva compares
14,155 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Melva's all-time total is 37x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melva | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,155 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 308 | 48 | 19,840 |
Melva's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Melva splits its recorded history at 1946: 35% of all births land in the more recent half, 65% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1938 peak of 308 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Melva at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1938
Current rank
#15,310
Active since
1880
Melva popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1938)
- 308
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Melva popularity over time - boys
30 total births recorded since 1926 (Melva as boys' name)
Melva by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Melva's strongest decade.
2,781 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Melva births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 40
1880s
40 births
- 1890s 150
1890s
150 births
- 1900s 384
1900s
384 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,585 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,781 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,759 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,468 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,977 births
- 1960s 1,041
1960s
1,041 births
- 1970s 554
1970s
554 births
- 1980s 245
1980s
245 births
- 1990s 116
1990s
116 births
- 2000s 34
2000s
34 births
- 2010s 16
2010s
16 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,781 births (20% of all-time use).
How Melva compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Melva's total volume
Melva vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Melva by state
Where Melva concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,568 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 658 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Oklahoma | | 641 | 4.5% |
| #4 | California | | 557 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 554 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 545 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 484 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 460 | 3.2% |
Texas share of Melva's total US births 11.1%
Even split
1,568 of 14,155 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Melva appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melva? ▼
Melva has been given to 14,155 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #15310 as of the latest data. 308 babies were born in 1938, its single highest year.
When was Melva most popular? ▼
Melva was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,781 total births. The single peak year was 1938.
Where is Melva most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Melva are Texas (1,568 births), Pennsylvania (658 births), Oklahoma (641 births).
How long has the name Melva been used? ▼
Melva has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Melva? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melissa, Melanie, Melinda, Melody, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Melva's data
- Melva's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,781 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Melvas (1,568 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Melva
Nearby Names Like Melva
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melva
Melissa Girl
#379 760,128 births
Melanie Girl
#122 262,640 births
Melinda Girl
#2099 135,822 births
Melody Girl
#91 114,914 births
Melba Girl
#11152 34,873 births
Compare Melva side by side: Melva vs Melissa Melva vs Melanie Melva vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melva
Kathryne #15309
5,959 births · Peak 1990
Tressie #15311
5,360 births · Peak 1921
Carey #15308
12,741 births · Peak 1975
Genie #15312
2,737 births · Peak 1982
Arrie #15307
1,792 births · Peak 1922
Hassie #15313
1,555 births · Peak 1919
Tressa #15306
7,034 births · Peak 1971
Lovisa #15314
69 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Melva: #15310 Girls' Name - 14,155 Births, Peak 1938." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/melva. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Melva draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.