Melvin

Melvin is a masculine given name and surname, likely a variant of Melville and a descendant of the French surname de Maleuin and the later Melwin.[1] It may alternatively be spelled as Melvyn and the name Melivinia may be used a feminine form. Of Norman French origin, originally Malleville, which translates to "bad town," it's likely it made its way into usage in Scotland as a result of the Norman conquest of England.[2][3] It came into use as a given name as early as the 19th century, in English-speaking populations.

For other uses, see Melvin (disambiguation).

As a name

Given name

Academics
  • Melvin Calvin (1911–1997), American chemist who discovered the Calvin cycle
  • Melvin Day (born 1923), New Zealand artist and art historian
  • Melvin Hochster (born 1943), American mathematician
  • Melvin Konner, Professor of Anthropology
  • Melvin Schwartz (1932–2006), American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1988
  • Melvin Alvah Traylor, Jr. (1915–2008), American ornithologist

Businessmen

Performers
  • Melvin Edmonds, member of R&B group After 7
  • Melvin Franklin (1942–1995), stage name of American bass singer David Melvin English
  • Melvin Gibbs, American bass guitarist
  • Melvin Odoom (born 1980), English comedian and presenter
  • Melvin Kaminsky (born 1926), given name of actor Mel Brooks
  • Melvin Parker (born 1944), American drummer who played in James Brown's band
  • Melvin Van Peebles (born 1932), American actor and director
  • Melvin Ragin (born 1951), American guitarist known as 'Wah-Wah Watson'
  • Melvin Rhyne (born 1936), jazz organist
  • Melvin Seals (born 1953), American musician
  • Melvin Sia, Malaysian-Chinese actor, singer, model
  • Melvin Sparks (born 1946), American jazz guitarist

Politicians
  • Melvin Irvin (1942-2014), African-American politician
  • Melvin R. Laird, Sr. (1877-1946), American politician
  • Melvin R. Laird (1922-2016), American politician and writer
  • Melvin Maas (1898–1964), U.S. Representative from Minnesota
  • Melvin McQuaid (1911–2001), member of the Canadian House of Commons
  • Melvin Steinberg (born 1933), Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1987 to 1995

Sportsmen

Writers

Others
  • Melvin Belli (1907–1996), American lawyer known as 'The King of Torts'
  • Melvin Bernhardt (born 1941), American stage and television director
  • Melvin Dummar (born 1944), American hoaxer and subject of film Melvin and Howard
  • Melvin N. Johnson, American academic administrator
  • Melvin Purvis (1903–1960), American FBI agent
  • Melvin Williams (disambiguation), multiple people
  • Melvin Zais (1916–1981), United States Army general

Fictional characters
  • Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  • Melvin Frohike, in the television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen
  • Melvin Palmer, on the television show Boston Legal
  • Melvin the Superhero Guy, a puppet of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham
  • Melvin Sneedly, a character from the Captain Underpants series

Surname

See also
  • Melvyn, a list of people with the given name
  • Justice Melvin (disambiguation)

References
  1. "Geoffrey de Maleuin, 1161-3, 1165-71" Percy Hide Reaney, Richard Middlewood Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (1991).
  2. "David Melvin was a member of the Scots Charitable Society of Boston in 1692, and James Melvin settled in East New Jersey in 1685." David Dobson, The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America (2003), p. 105.
  3. Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the Name Melville". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
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