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 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
  • Melvin Hochster (born 1943), American mathematician
  • Melvin Konner (born 1946), 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

  • Melvin Jones (1879-1961), businessman and founder of Lions Club
  • Melvin Alvah Traylor (1878–1934), American banker
  • Melvin T. Tukman, American asset manager, investor, philanthropist.

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 (1944–2021), American drummer who played in James Brown's band
  • Melvin Van Peebles (1932–2021), American actor and director
  • Melvin Ragin (1951–2018), American guitarist known as 'Wah-Wah Watson'
  • Melvin Rhyne (1936–2013), jazz organist
  • Melvin Seals (born 1953), American musician
  • Melvin Sia (born 1979), Malaysian-Chinese actor, singer, model
  • Melvin Sparks (1946–2011), American jazz guitarist

Politicians

Sportsmen

Writers

Others

  • Melvin Belli (1907–1996), American lawyer known as 'The King of Torts'
  • Melvin Bernhardt (1931-2015), American stage and television director
  • Melvin Dummar (1944–2018), American hoaxer and subject of film Melvin and Howard
  • Melvin N. Johnson, American academic administrator
  • Melvin Purvis (1903–1960), American FBI agent
  • Melvin Storer (1921–2003), United States Navy shipfitter
  • Melvin Williams (disambiguation), multiple people
  • Melvin Zais (1916–1981), United States Army general

Fictional characters

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. Archived from the original on 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
Name list
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