Melvin Nicholson
There are approximately 22 people named Melvin Nicholson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 15,579,743 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Melvin with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nicholson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
22
1 in 15,579,743
Named Melvin
117K
Alive today
Named Nicholson
64K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 117K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1928
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (44.4%)
Estimated bearers: 64K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #592
Per 100K: 18.57
Top ancestry: White (71.9%)
First name trend
Melvin: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Melvin. The peak year was 1928 with 4,311 births. The average person named Melvin today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melvin
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Melvin, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 44.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Melvin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Melvin at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White44.4% · 49,442
- Black or African American35.0% · 39,021
- Hispanic or Latino14.2% · 15,875
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3,283
- Two or more races2.2% · 2,433
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 1,360
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nicholson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nicholson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Nicholson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Nicholson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.9% · 39,908
- Black or African American18.7% · 10,380
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,477
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,002
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 393
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 346
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Melvin has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0341% of the US population, based on 116,958 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Melvin right now.
The surname Nicholson appears at a rate of 18.57 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0186%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 22 people with the full name Melvin Nicholson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Melvin
Related
Other people with the surname Nicholson
FAQ
Melvin Nicholson: questions and answers
How many people are named Melvin Nicholson?
We estimate approximately 22 people in the United States share the full name Melvin Nicholson. That works out to about 1 in 15,579,743 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0341%) with the surname frequency (18.57 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Melvin Nicholson?
We classify Melvin Nicholson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 15,579,743 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Melvin a male or female name?
Melvin is predominantly male. Out of 246,815 total SSA registrations, 99.1% were male and 0.9% were female. See the full Melvin profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How common is the name Melvin Nicholson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Melvin Nicholson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.