Find out how popular the last name Melvin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Melvin.

Melvin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Melvin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melvin in America

Melvin is the 1795th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melvin surname appeared 20,008 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Melvin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melvin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Melvin

The surname Melvin has its origins in the Brythonic Celtic language and is believed to have originated in Wales and surrounding areas during the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Welsh personal name Melfyn, which is composed of the elements "mel," meaning "honey," and "fyn," meaning "fair" or "blessed."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melvin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Melfin," which was likely a variation of the original Welsh spelling.

During the Middle Ages, the name Melvin was primarily concentrated in the Welsh Marches, the border region between England and Wales. It was often associated with families who held land or had connections to the area. One notable example is Sir John Melvin, a Welsh knight who fought alongside Edward I during the conquest of Wales in the late 13th century.

As the name spread beyond Wales, it underwent various spelling variations, including Melvyn, Melvine, and Melville. These spellings reflect the influence of different regional dialects and the gradual anglicization of the name over time.

In the 16th century, the name Melvin gained prominence in Scotland, where it was adopted by several influential families. One such family was the Melvins of Dysart, whose members included Sir James Melvin (1556-1617), a renowned Scottish theologian and scholar.

Another notable figure was Andrew Melvin (1545-1622), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland. He was a vocal critic of the episcopalian policies of King James VI and was briefly imprisoned for his beliefs.

In the 17th century, the Melvin surname began to appear in various parts of England, often associated with families of Welsh or Scottish descent. One prominent individual from this period was Sir Robert Melvin (1619-1683), an English courtier and politician who served as a member of Parliament and held various positions under Charles II.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Melvin name continued to spread across the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world through emigration. One noteworthy individual was James Melvin (1790-1856), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melvin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Melvin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Melvin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Melvin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Melvin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Melvin, please contact us.

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