Holding steady.
Popularity of Marvis since 1914
Babies named Marvis per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1924, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Marvis's real moment was 1930.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 97 | 27 |
| 1920s | 304 | 114 |
| 1930s | 275 | 102 |
| 1940s | 243 | 98 |
| 1950s | 258 | 110 |
| 1960s | 143 | 118 |
| 1970s | 46 | 151 |
| 1980s | 0 | 208 |
| 1990s | 0 | 66 |
| 2000s | 0 | 64 |
| 2010s | 0 | 44 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Marvis is a rare American name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1914, but it never broke into the top 1000. Its peak year was 1930, during the Great Depression, when a small number of parents chose it. The name has a stable trajectory, with occasional usage over the decades but never becoming common. Marvis is likely a respelling of the more familiar Marvin, fitting a pattern of invented names in the early 20th century that varied spellings or added suffixes. While it has no top state associations, it reflects a creative naming moment in American history. Today, it remains an uncommon choice, appealing to parents seeking a distinctive vintage-sounding name.
Marvis is likely an American coinage from the early 20th century, possibly a respelling or variant of Marvin, which itself derives from the Welsh name Merfyn (meaning 'sea hill' or 'famous marrow'). It may also be a feminine form of Marv. The name saw modest use in the 1930s but never achieved widespread popularity.
Sibling names for Marvis
Names that share Marvis's style, for a brother or sister.
