Mervyn

Where Mervyn comes from

Welsh Merfyn, probably from mer (“marrow”) (from Proto-Brythonic *mer) + myn (“eminent”) (compare Irish mín (“smooth, elegant, courteous”)).
— Wiktionary's entry for Mervyn
  • Welsh
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1900
    Mervyn LeRoy born
    American film director and producer
  2. 1905
    First appearance
    #1,233 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1911
    Mervyn Peake born
    English author and illustrator
  4. 1937
    Peak, #824
    55 babies named Mervyn — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1941
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,333.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Welsh.
Namesakes
  • Mervyn LeRoy · American film director and producer, 1900–1987
  • Mervyn Peake · English author and illustrator, 1911–1968
  • Mervyn Rose · Australian tennis player, 1930–2017
  • Mervyn Wood · Australian rower, 1917–2006
  • Mervyn King · British economist, born 1948

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.