COMPILED FROM THE FEDERAL REGISTERS, 1880 TO THE PRESENT
THE ENDANGERED NAMES LIST
American first names, tracked to the federal reporting line.

FROM THE REGISTER — THE VANISHED

Melville
A male given name · United States

BELOW THE FEDERAL REPORTING LINE SINCE 1982 — 44 YEARS

Melville (M): reported births per year020406080100188019001920194019601980200020202025FEDERAL REPORTING LINE (5)PEAK 77 — 1918
Reported births per year, 1880–2025. The y-axis starts at zero. Years below the reporting line appear as gaps, not zeros.

The author's twentieth-century revival did not extend to his name. Melville was reported above the federal line from 1880 to 1981, peaking at 77 births in 1918 — 2,269 recorded in all. It has not appeared in the register since: 44 years below the line, and counting.

REGISTER EXTRACT
First reported1880
Last reported1981
Peak1918 — 77 births
Total recorded, 1880–20252,269
Years above the line98 of a possible 146
Longest absence44 years (1982–2025, ongoing)

Nearby in the register

Zilpha

The Vanished · 1880–1943 · peak 1918

Floy

The Vanished · 1880–1971 · peak 1918

Hedwig

The Vanished · 1880–1968 · peak 1918

Permelia

The Vanished · 1880–1963 · peak 1918

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national names file (1880–2025). Names below 5 occurrences in a year are not reported.

Somewhere, a grandmother is unsurprised.

A collection of THE MUSEUM OF HOPEFUL MACHINES