Mel

Meaning: Its source is Malvina, a Gaelic name meaning "Smooth brow."

Nickname For: Melvin

Popularity: The name Mel ranked 945th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: The female original, Malvina, was created by James Macpherson in the 18th century as a name for a character in his Ossianic poems. Macpherson claimed that these poems were translations of ancient texts, but they were in fact his own creations.

Arts and Music

Mel Powell
- 1990 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music Composition (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Music)
Mel Tillis (born 1932)
American singer and songwriter. Known for the stutter in his speech, which disappears when he sings.
- Winner of the 1976 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award (see list of Country Music Association Award Winners)

Miscellaneous

Mel Gibson (born 1956)
American actor, director and producer.
- 1997 gross earnings: $42 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1999 gross earnings: $45.5 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1998 gross earnings: $55 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1996 gross earnings: $17 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)

Sports

Mel Blount
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1989 (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
Mel Hein
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1963 (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
Mel Ott
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951 (see list of Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame)
Mel Renfro
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1996 (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
Mel Stewart
American athlete.
- 1992 Olympic swimming gold medal winner for 200m butterfly (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Swimming Events)

Stage and Screen

Melvin Jerome ''Mel'' Blanc (born 1908, died 1989)
American actor who did the voices for many Warner Brothers cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio (see list of Radio Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Mel Cooley
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Richard Deacon (see list of Characters on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'')
Mel Gibson (born 1956)
American actor, director and producer.
- 1995 Academy Award winner for Braveheart (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Director)
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
Mel Silver
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Matthew Laurance (see list of Characters on ''Beverly Hills 90210'')