Marvin
Meaning
traditionally derived from Welsh Merfyn ('marrow' + 'eminent'), sometimes linked to Old English Maerwine 'famous friend'
Goes by Marv
The story
Marvin descends from Merfyn, an old Welsh name usually read as sea friend, worn by early Welsh kings before English speakers smoothed it into its modern shape. Its great American era came in the early decades of the twentieth century, when Marvin sat comfortably among the solid, respectable choices of the day; it has been easing gently downhill ever since. The name's soul, though, belongs to Marvin Gaye, Motown's velvet prince, who fought his own label for the right to release What's Going On in 1971 and delivered a record critics still rank among the greatest albums ever made. He gave Marvin a depth no chart can measure. On paper the name is quieter now, an old-fashioned gentleman waiting out fashion, but like the best of its era it never disappears entirely, and it keeps very good company.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Marvin peaked in the 1930s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
1,378 people · the #6,643 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 142,857 · median age 23
Among people named Marvin living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 149 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Marvin
People given the name Marvin in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Marvin deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Marvin truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Marvin fits with your family’s names and surname.
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