Marlvin
A masculine name of English origin possibly derived from the combination of "Mars" and "Alvin".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Marlvin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Marlvin today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marlvin births was 1966 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marlvin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Marlvin is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Marlvins were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Marlvin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1966
5 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1966 SSA rank
#4,319
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Marlvin: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Marlvin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Marlvin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Marlvin
The given name Marlvin is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic language family, possibly deriving from a combination of the elements "marl" meaning "boundary" or "border" and "vin" meaning "friend" or "ally." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who guarded or protected the boundaries or borders of a community or territory.
In the early medieval period, variations of the name such as "Merlwin" and "Merlwin" appeared in some historical records and chronicles from regions that are now parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. However, these early spellings were relatively uncommon and the name did not gain widespread popularity until much later.
The earliest documented use of the name Marlvin in its more recognizable modern form dates back to the 15th century, when it was recorded in a few birth records from the region of Saxony in present-day eastern Germany. It is believed that during this time, the name may have been influenced by the Old High German word "marljoh," which meant "boundary post" or "marker."
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Marlvin was a German knight and soldier named Marlvin von Lichtenstein, who lived in the late 15th century and fought in various conflicts during the Renaissance era. Another historical figure was Marlvin Weiss, a 16th-century German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a role in the spread of the Reformation in central Europe.
In the 17th century, a Dutch artist named Marlvin van der Helst (1613-1670) gained recognition for his portraits and genre paintings, which depicted scenes of everyday life in the Dutch Golden Age. Around the same time, Marlvin Gottfried Hasse (1661-1722), a German composer and organist, made significant contributions to the development of Baroque music.
In more recent centuries, one of the most notable individuals named Marlvin was Marlvin Hamlisch (1944-2012), an American composer and conductor who won multiple Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards for his work in film and television scores, including the iconic music for the film "The Way We Were."
People
Marlvin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marlvin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marlvin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marlvin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marlvin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Marlvin a common name?
We classify Marlvin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marlvin most popular?
The single biggest year for Marlvin was 1966, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marlvin is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Marlvin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marlvin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marlvin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Marlvin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marlvin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Marlvin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Marlvin?
Find out how many Americans are named Marlvin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.