Total births
12,322
Boys' name · since 1880
Mervin
Mervin has 12,322 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2394
- among boys today
- 12,322
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Mervin is the #2394 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 12,322 recorded since 1880.
Mervin has 12,322 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2394 as of the latest data, more common than 83% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2394 among boys today
- 12,322 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 83% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mervin is currently the #2394 boys' name in America, more common than 83% of boys - 12,322 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2394
- among boys today
- 12,322
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other boys
Mervin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2394
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 83% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Mervin was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
249 babies were named Mervin in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Mervin compares
12,322 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 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
Mervin's all-time total is 34x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mervin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,322 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 249 | 23 | 22,252 |
Mervin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Mervin splits its recorded history at 1953: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 249 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Mervin at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1920
Current rank
#2,394
Active since
1880
Mervin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 249
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Mervin popularity over time - girls
38 total births recorded since 1919 (Mervin as girls' name)
Mervin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Mervin's strongest decade.
2,216 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Mervin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 87
1880s
87 births
- 1890s 94
1890s
94 births
- 1900s 149
1900s
149 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,289 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,216 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,839 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,461 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,135 births
- 1960s
1960s
920 births
- 1970s 601
1970s
601 births
- 1980s 552
1980s
552 births
- 1990s 608
1990s
608 births
- 2000s 553
2000s
553 births
- 2010s 494
2010s
494 births
- 2020s 324
2020s
324 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,216 births (18% of all-time use).
How Mervin 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 Mervin's total volume
Mervin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Mervin by state
Where Mervin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,941 | 15.8% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 773 | 6.3% |
| #3 | California | | 570 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 543 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 510 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Iowa | | 468 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 360 | 2.9% |
| #8 | New York | | 359 | 2.9% |
Pennsylvania share of Mervin's total US births 15.8%
Even split
1,941 of 12,322 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Mervin appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mervin? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 12,322 babies named Mervin. Today it holds rank #2394 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 249 births.
When was Mervin most popular? ▼
Mervin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,216 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Mervin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mervin are Pennsylvania (1,941 births), Ohio (773 births), California (570 births).
How long has the name Mervin been used? ▼
Records for Mervin go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Mervin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Merle, Merlin, Merrill, Merritt, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Mervin's data
- Mervin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,216 total births); usage has since declined to 324 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Mervins (1,941 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Mervin
Nearby Names Like Mervin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mervin
Merle Boy
#4573 30,666 births
Merlin Boy
#2063 15,049 births
Merrill Boy
#10939 12,988 births
Merritt Boy
#1891 6,151 births
Merrick Boy
#1212 5,792 births
Compare Mervin side by side: Mervin vs Merle Mervin vs Merlin Mervin vs Merrill
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mervin
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mervin: #2394 Boys' Name - 12,322 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mervin. 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 Mervin 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.