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

Origin: "Malvina."

Languages: This boy's name is used in Dutch and English.

Nicknames: Mel

Alternative Spellings: Melvyn

Variant Forms: Malvin

Popularity: The name Melvin ranked 386th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 124th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

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.

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

Origin: "Malvina."

Popularity: The name Melvin ranked 3068th in popularity for females 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.

This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it could owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.