Melvin
Meaning of Melvin
Melvin is a warm-hearted Scottish-Irish traveler, originally a surname shaped from the Gaelic Maol-Mhín, “gentle chieftain” or “kind protector.” Spoken simply as MEL-vin, the name marched onto American playgrounds in the late 1800s, crested during the swing-era high tide, and now enjoys the sweet spot of being familiar yet rare—only 275 boys received it in 2024. Its résumé is impressive: Nobel laureate chemist Melvin Calvin gives it brains, Temptations bass man Melvin Franklin supplies soul, and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles lends bold creativity. Pop culture’s occasional “Melvin the brainy sidekick” stereotype just adds an underdog grin. Chosen today, Melvin offers parents a vintage badge of gentle strength and quiet confidence—perfect for a little one ready to write his own timeless tune.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as MEL-vin (/ˈmɛl.vɪn/)
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Notable People Named Melvin
| Melvin Gordon III is an American professional football running back who was a unanimous All-American and Doak Walker Award winner at Wisconsin before being drafted 15th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2015. |
| Melvin Van Peebles was a groundbreaking American filmmaker who leveraged his early award-winning success to pursue independent projects after attracting Hollywood's interest. |
| Melvin Franklin was the bass singer and a founding member of The Temptations, performing with the group from 1960 to 1995. |
| Melvin Horace Purvis II was an FBI agent who captured John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd, and later participated in the Nuremberg Trials with General Patton and Hermann Göring. |
| Melvin Beaunorus Tolson was an American poet, educator, columnist, and politician whose work drew from Modernism, African American experiences, and the Harlem Renaissance. |
| Melvin Earl Dummar claimed he saved Howard Hughes and was left millions in a will, but courts ruled it a forgery, though his story inspired a film and later evidence backed his account. |
| Melvin Ingram III is an American professional football linebacker who was an All-American at South Carolina, a first-round NFL draft pick by the Chargers, and has played for teams like the Steelers, Chiefs, and Dolphins. |
| Melvin Gregg is an American actor acclaimed for his roles in "American Vandal," "High Flying Bird," "Snowfall," and "Nine Perfect Strangers." |
| Melvin Louis Brown, a 19-year-old U.S. Army soldier, posthumously earned the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in the Korean War. |
| Melvin Morris is a U.S. Army Special Forces Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient. |
| Melvin J. Lerner, a former University of Waterloo professor and current Florida Atlantic University visiting scholar, is celebrated as a pioneer in the psychological study of justice. |
| American physicist Melvin Schwartz won the 1988 Nobel Prize for developing the neutrino beam method and discovering the muon neutrino, revealing the doublet structure of leptons. |
| Melvin Jamon Frazier Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Al-Ahly Ly in Libya's Division I and the Basketball Africa League, having played college basketball at Tulane. |
| Melvin Jones founded Lions Clubs International and served as its secretary-treasurer. |
| Melvin Harrison Turpin was an NBA player for five seasons and an All-American at the University of Kentucky, where he led the Wildcats to the 1984 Final Four. |
