Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Melville, from Old French meaning bad town or mill settlement; 20th-century American associations make it feel firmly mid-century.
Nicknames
mel
Vibe
gentle
How it ages.
Classic mid-century American; deeply vintage now, which makes it a candidate for the old-man-name revival cycle.
The cultural moment.
Common in the US from the 1920s through 1960s; rare among newborns, but retro interest is building.