Boys' name · since 1880
Melvin
Melvin has 244,936 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1928 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #159 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #958 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 244,936
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Melvin is the #958 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 244,936 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melvin has been recorded 244,936 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #958 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, 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 2025.
- #159 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #958 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 244,936 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melvin ranks #159 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #958 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 244,936 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #159 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #958 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 244,936
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Melvin's 244,936 recorded births place it above 99.65% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Melvin compares
244,936 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Melvin's all-time total is 664x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melvin | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 244,936 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,249 | 34 | 22,252 |
Melvin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Melvin splits its recorded history at 1953: 36% of all births land in the more recent half, 64% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (76 births) -- compare that against the 1928 peak of 4,249 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Melvin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1928)
- 4,249
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Melvin popularity over time - girls
2,139 total births recorded since 1895 (Melvin as girls' name)
Melvin by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (40,583 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Melvin's strongest decade.
40,583 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Melvin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 960
1880s
960 births
- 1890s 1,325
1890s
1,325 births
- 1900s 2,840
1900s
2,840 births
- 1910s
1910s
21,739 births
- 1920s
1920s
40,583 births
- 1930s
1930s
37,705 births
- 1940s
1940s
39,236 births
- 1950s
1950s
36,165 births
- 1960s
1960s
23,093 births
- 1970s 13,126
1970s
13,126 births
- 1980s 9,431
1980s
9,431 births
- 1990s 6,983
1990s
6,983 births
- 2000s 6,296
2000s
6,296 births
- 2010s 3,705
2010s
3,705 births
- 2020s 1,749
2020s
1,749 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 40,583 births (17% of all-time use).
How Melvin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Melvin's total volume
Melvin by state
Where Melvin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 14,430 | 5.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 13,995 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 12,884 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 12,723 | 5.2% |
| #5 | California | | 11,609 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,489 | 4.3% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 9,169 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 8,987 | 3.7% |
14,430 of 244,936 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Melvin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melvin? ▼
Where does Melvin sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Melvin most popular? ▼
Where is Melvin most popular? ▼
How long has the name Melvin been used? ▼
What names are similar to Melvin? ▼
What to do with Melvin's data
- Melvin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (40,583 total births); usage has since declined to 1,749 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Melvins (14,430 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Melvin
Nearby Names Like Melvin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melvin
Compare Melvin side by side: Melvin vs Melvyn Melvin vs Melton Melvin vs Mel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melvin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Melvin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1928)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Melvin 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 August 2026.