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Home › Baby Names Directory › Malvern

Malvern

♂ Boy

Pronounced MAL-vurn /ˈmæl.vərn/Medium

Meaning: Malvern is a place-name and surname taken up as a first name. It comes from the Malvern Hills of western England, whose name derives from a Celtic (Welsh) root, 'moel bryn', meaning bare or bald hill. As a personal name it carries that landscape sense rather than a separate word-meaning.Low

In 30 seconds: Malvern is a place-name and surname from the Malvern Hills, meaning bare hill (Celtic). It stayed rare in the United States, peaking around 1921 (said MAL-vurn).
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Origin LowEnglish, Welsh
MeaningMalvern is a place-name and surname taken up as a first name. It comes from the Malvern Hills of western England, whose name derives from a Celtic (Welsh) root, 'moel bryn', meaning bare or bald hill. As a personal name it carries that landscape sense rather than a separate word-meaning.
U.S. rank (1965)#4246 ↘ Falling
1965 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 385

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192119131965

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Malvern is an English place-name from the Malvern Hills, whose Celtic root means bare hill, adopted first as a surname and then, sparingly, as a given name. Its American use clusters in the early twentieth century, when place and surname names were a modest fashion for boys. It reads as a sturdy, landscape-rooted choice.

Malvern was never common as a first name in the United States, reaching only about twenty boys a year around its high point in 1921 before fading by mid-century. A boy named Malvern then would be a great-grandfather today.

Did you know? The Malvern Hills behind the name are famous for their spring water and were a favorite of the composer Edward Elgar - a whole English landscape folded into a boy's name.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Malvern — Place-name/surname; Malvern Hills, Celtic moel bryn (bare hill)

Variations

MalvinMelvernMelvin

Nicknames

MalVern

Famous Bearers

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If you like Malvern…

Melvin— a like sturdy vintage Mel- name
Malvin— a close cousin in sound
Vernon— a similar place-rooted vintage name
Delvin— a similar two-syllable -vin name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Malvern mean?

It is a place-name and surname from the Malvern Hills of England, from a Celtic root meaning bare hill.

How do you pronounce Malvern?

It is said MAL-vurn /ˈmæl.vərn/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Malvern a boy or girl name?

Malvern is used here as a boy's name.

How popular is Malvern?

It has always been rare as a first name in the United States, given to only about twenty boys a year at its peak in the early nineteen-twenties.

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