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 or, in Welsh, Melfyn and the name Melivinia or Melva may be used a feminine form. Of
Norman French origin, originally Malleville, which translates to "bad town," it likely 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.
As a name
Given name
Academics
Melvin Calvin (1911–1997), American chemist who discovered the Calvin cycle
Melvin Day (1923–2016), New Zealand artist and art historian
^"Geoffrey de Maleuin, 1161-3, 1165-71"
Percy Hide Reaney, Richard Middlewood Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (1991).
^"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.
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name or the same
family name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
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 or, in Welsh, Melfyn and the name Melivinia or Melva may be used a feminine form. Of
Norman French origin, originally Malleville, which translates to "bad town," it likely 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.
As a name
Given name
Academics
Melvin Calvin (1911–1997), American chemist who discovered the Calvin cycle
Melvin Day (1923–2016), New Zealand artist and art historian
^"Geoffrey de Maleuin, 1161-3, 1165-71"
Percy Hide Reaney, Richard Middlewood Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (1991).
^"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.
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name or the same
family name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.