UK boy's name
Marvin
A French masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "mari" (famous) and "wine" (friend).
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Marvin is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Marvin popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1517, with 17 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 40 births.
This profile covers 644 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 649 living people in the UK are called Marvin. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Marvin ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 17 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 40 boys were registered as Marvin.
- • Marvin ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #707 in 2016.
- • About 649 living people in the UK are estimated to have Marvin as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1517
2024
Births in 2024
17
Latest year
Peak year
2010
40 births
Estimated living
649
2026
Meaning
What does Marvin mean?
The name Marvin has its origins in the Old French name Marvin or Marven, which was derived from the Old English name Mærwine. The name Mærwine is composed of the elements "mær" meaning "famous" and "wine" meaning "friend". Thus, the name Marvin can be interpreted as "famous friend".
The name Marvin was first recorded in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. It was brought to England by the Norman French and gradually became a popular name among the English population. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Marvyn in the Domesday Book of 1086.
In the Middle Ages, the name Marvin was associated with several historical figures. One notable example is Marvin de Cheremeunde, a French knight who fought in the Third Crusade in the late 12th century. Another was Marvin of Strathclyde, a Scottish nobleman and warrior who lived in the 10th century.
Throughout history, there have been several famous individuals bearing the name Marvin. One of the earliest was Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), an American singer-songwriter and record producer, known as the "Prince of Motown". Another was Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012), an American composer and conductor who won several Academy Awards and Emmy Awards.
In the field of science, Marvin Minsky (1927-2016) was a renowned American cognitive scientist and co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Marvin Zonis (1941-2020) was an American political scientist and economist, known for his expertise in Middle Eastern politics and economics.
In literature, Marvin Bell (born 1937) is an American poet and former Poet Laureate of Iowa. His works include "Stars Which See, Stars Which Do Not See" and "Vertigo: The Living Word Anthologies".
While the name Marvin has roots in Old English and Old French, it has been widely used across various cultures and time periods, with several notable individuals leaving their mark in various fields.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Marvin over time
The chart below shows babies named Marvin registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Marvin, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 17 births in 2024, compared with 40 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marvin by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Marvin was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1522 | 87 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1138 | 245 | 10 |
| 2000s | #923 | 237 | 10 |
| 1990s | #831 | 75 | 4 |
Geography
Where Marvin is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Marvin. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Marvin ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #707 in 2016.
Across the UK
Marvin in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#707 in 2016
3 years of NRS records, 10 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Marvin
-
Marvin Ekpiteta
association football player
English association football player
1996-
-
Marvin Sordell
association football player
English association football player (born 1991)
1991-
-
Marvin Farrell
association football player
Montserratian association football player
1990-
-
Marvin Johnson
association football player
English association football player (born 1990)
1990-
-
Marvin Hamilton
association football player
English footballer (born 1988)
1988-
-
Marvin McCoy
association football player
Antiguan association football player (born 1988)
1988-
-
Marvin Williams
association football player
Footballer (born 1987)
1987-
-
Marvin Bartley
association football coach; association football player
English footballer (born 1986)
1986-
Related
Names similar to Marvin
- Matthew 80,931
- Mohammed 74,321
- Muhammad 72,235
- Max 59,807
- Michael 47,075
- Mason 38,935
- Mohammad 25,910
- Morgan 15,994
- Muhammed 11,527
- Mark 11,336
- Marcus 11,257
- Maxwell 10,006
FAQ
Marvin: questions and answers
How popular is the name Marvin in the UK right now?
In 2024, Marvin was ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales, with 17 births registered.
When was Marvin most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 40 babies registered as Marvin in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Marvin?
A French masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "mari" (famous) and "wine" (friend).
How many people are called Marvin in the UK?
A total of 644 babies have been registered as Marvin across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.
Where is Marvin most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Marvin ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #707 in 2016. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.