Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Marvin

Marvin is the transferred use of an English surname originating from an old Welsh personal name Merfyn. The most notable bearer was Merfyn Frych, a 9th century king of Gwynedd, a medieval kingdom in Wales, and whose reign lasted nearly twenty years. Precious little is known of Merfyn except that he was known as The Freckled and he was the father of Rhodri Mawr (the Great King of North Wales in the latter part of the 9th century). The origin and meaning of Merfyn is also lost. Some sources believe that the name comes from the old Welsh elements “mer” meaning ‘marrow’ and “ffynu” meaning ‘thriving’. The name also became popular among inhabitants of northern England and eventually gave birth to several surnames (Marvin, Mervin, Mervyn, etc.). As a given name, Marvin has been in use since at least the 19th century.

All About the Baby Name – Marvin

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MARVIN

The number Five personality loves the excitement of life and can easily adapt to all situations. As natural adventurers, these personalities thrive on the new and unexpected and prefer to be in constant motion. It makes them feel alive. They'll stir up some action if there's not enough around, and as inherent risk-takers they enjoy pushing the envelope. Naturally rebellious, the Five personality has no fear and never resists change.  Traveling and new experiences feed their souls. Fives are very social and attract friends with ease. People love to be around the Five fun-loving and exciting energy.  This is also a lucky number in numerology (like the Threes), so fortune seems to shine on them, helped along by their own optimism and good-nature. Fives have a quick wit, a cerebral mind, and are generally very persuasive. 

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MARVIN

Marvin has maintained a position on the male naming charts since the U.S. government began tracking naming trends starting in the late 1800s. At the turn of the 20th century, Marvin was surprisingly popular, but the true height of this name’s glory came during the 1930s when it was a Top 50 choice for boys. In fact, this was a name that held fast to the Top 100 list of most commonly used male names for 50 straight years. Pretty impressive! The name finally dropped off the Top 100 in 1956. From that point on, Marvin’s popularity slowly deteriorated. Now that we’re into the 21st century, the name Marvin has become considered too “old-man-ish” and outdated. Of course, we think that’s part of his charm. The name is also often associated with the brilliant but depressed robot (Martin the Paranoid Android) in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Somehow Martin has a slightly “dorky” quality but that’s a positive in today’s techno-savvy world where nerds rule innovation and are ‘thriving’ businessmen.

Quick Facts

ON MARVIN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

499

PRONUNCIATION:

MAHR-vin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Thriving

Characteristics

OF MARVIN

Freedom-loving

Adventurous

Adaptable

Intellectual

Easygoing

Progressive

Sensual

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Marvin

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MARVIN

Marvin the Paranoid Android is the endearing character in Douglas Adam’s sci-fi series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, that has also had success as a novel, comic-book, radio and TV series. Poor Marvin – he is the starship’s woefully underused robot who suffers from extreme depression because his intellectual capacity is far larger than any possible combination of challenges can fill. He was originally a failed prototype of a GPP, or “Genuine People Personalities” series, and he feels rightfully resentful that things went wrong. He claims not to have had a decent conversation in over 40 million years, and that was with a coffee machine. Naturally he’s depressed and bored! Probably his best trick is, when he is kidnapped by war robots who plug into him in order to use his vast intelligence, he instead infuses them with his own depression and lethargy, thereby sabotaging their aims. So that, at least, should provide Marvin with a least ONE “Reason(s) Not To Be Miserable”.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MARVIN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Marvin


Popular Songs

ON MARVIN

Marvin Interlude
a song by Mary J. Blige

Famous People

NAMED MARVIN

Marvin Gaye (R&B singer)
Marvin Hamlisch (composer of film scores)
Marvin Watson (aka Messy marv, rapper)
“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler (boxer)
Marvin Andrews (Trinidadian soccer player)
Marvin Minsky (cognitive scientist)
Marvin Williams (basketball player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MARVIN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Marvin

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MARVIN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Marvin