Mervyn is a masculine given name and occasionally a surname which is of

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...

origin, with elements ''mer'', probably meaning "marrow", and ''myn'', meaning "eminent". Despite the misconception of the letter 'V' being an English spelling, through Roman occupation of Britain, the Welsh language (at least for spelling) was Latinised and through centuries of evolution of the Welsh language, the modern Welsh spelling for Mervyn is Merfyn.

People with the given name

* Mervyn or

Merfyn Frych Merfyn Frych ('Merfyn the Freckled'; Old Welsh ''Mermin''), also known as Merfyn ap Gwriad ('Merfyn son of Gwriad') and Merfyn Camwri ('Merfyn the Oppressor'), was King of Gwynedd from around 825 to 844, the first of its kings known not to have de ...

, king of Gwynedd (c. 825-844) *

Mervyn Archdall (disambiguation) Mervyn Archdall may refer to: *Mervyn Archdall (Irish antiquary) (1723–1791) * Mervyn Archdall (senior) (c.1724–1813), colonel and MP for Fermanagh * Mervyn Archdall (junior) (1763–1839), general and MP for Fermanagh *Mervyn Edward Archdale ...

, various persons *

Mervyn S. Bennion Mervyn Sharp Bennion (May 5, 1887 – December 7, 1941) was a United States Navy captain who served during World War I and was killed while he was in command of battleship during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. He posth ...

(1887–1941), US Navy captain killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor *

Mervyn Carrick William Mervyn Carrick, known as Mervyn Carrick (born 13 February 1946) is a former Unionist politician from Northern Ireland representing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Early life and career Born in Portadown, Carrick studied at Portad ...

(born 1946), Northern Ireland politician *

Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch Evan Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch, (born 21 November 1952) is a British former banker and was a Labour government minister until May 2010, as Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business. He is currently non-executiv ...

(born 1952), former banker and UK government minister *

Mervyn Davies Thomas Mervyn Davies (9 December 1946 – 15 March 2012), often known as "Merv the Swerve", was a Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8. Early life Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School ...

(1946–2012), Welsh former rugby union player *

Mervyn Day Mervyn Richard Day (born 26 June 1955) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for West Ham United, Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Luton Town, Sheffield United and Carlisle United. He la ...

(born 1955), English former football goalkeeper *

Mervyn de Silva Mervyn de Silva (5 September 1929 – 22 June 1999) was a Sri Lankan journalist. He was the editor in chief of Lake House and of ''The Times of Ceylon'', editor of the ''Ceylon Daily News'' and the ''Lanka Guardian''. Early life and family Mervy ...

(1929-1999), Sri Lankan Sinhala journalist *

Mervyn Dillon Mervyn Dillon (born 5 June 1974), is a former West Indian cricketer. He has played 38 in Tests and taken 131 wickets. He has also played 108 One Day Internationals from 1997–2004. He has the unwanted record of most ducks ever in a calendar y ...

(born 1974), West Indian cricketer *

Mervyn M. Dymally Mervyn Malcolm Dymally (May 12, 1926 – October 7, 2012) was an American politician from California. He served in the California State Assembly (1963–66) and the California State Senate (1967–75) as the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Califor ...

(born 1926), American politician, first Trinidadian Lieutenant Governor of California * Mervyn Fernandez (born 1959), former National Football League and Canadian Football League wide receiver * Mervyn Fonseka,

Solicitor General of Sri Lanka The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka is a post subordinate to the Attorney General of Sri Lanka. The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by four Additional Solicitors General. Note that the post was Solicit ...

from 1943-1945 *

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...

(1925-2007), American singer, television host and media mogul *

Merv Harvey Mervyn Roye Harvey (29 April 1918 – 18 March 1995) was a cricketer who played in one Test match for Australia in 1947. His younger brother, Neil, was one of Australia's finest batsmen, and the pair played together for Victoria during the latt ...

(1918–1995), Australian cricketer *

Mervyn Hill Mervyn Llewellyn Hill (23 June 1902 – 27 February 1948) was a Welsh first-class cricket wicketkeeper and batsman for Somerset between 1921 and 1932, and also appeared in matches for Glamorgan and Cambridge University. He was also a member of t ...

(1902–1948), Welsh cricketer *

Merv Hughes Mervyn Gregory Hughes (born 23 November 1961) is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia national cricket team, Australia in 53 Test cricket, Test matches between 1985 and 1994, taking 212 wickets. He pla ...

(born 1961), Australian cricketer * Mervyn Jayasuriya (died 2008), Sri Lankan Sinhala radio announcer * Mervyn Johns (1899–1992), Welsh film and television actor * Mervyn King (economist) (born 1948), British economist, Governor of the Bank of England * Mervyn King (judge), former judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa and chairman of the King Committee on Corporate Governance * Mervyn King (darts player) (born 1966), British darts player * Mervyn King (bowls) (born 1966), English bowls player * Mervyn Kitchen (born 1940), English former first-class cricketer and international umpire *

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies. During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...

(1900–1987), American film director, producer and sometime actor *

Mervyn Maynard Mervyn "Merv" Maynard ( – 9 April 2017) was an Aboriginal Australian jockey who rode numerous winners in a career spanning almost five decades. Early life Mervyn Maynard was born around 1931, the son of Aboriginal activist Fred Maynard and M ...

(-2017), Aboriginal Australian jockey *

Mervyn Middlecoat Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat (6 July 1931 – 12 December 1971) was a Pakistani fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who was involved in a number of aerial battles during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, before being ...

(1940–1971), Pakistan Air Force wing commander *

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

(1911–1968), English modernist writer, artist, poet and illustrator, best known for his ''Gormenghast'' series *

Mervyn Pike, Baroness Pike Irene Mervyn Parnicott Pike, Baroness Pike, (16 September 1918 – 11 January 2004) was a British Conservative politician. The name by which she came to be known, Mervyn, had been the name of her father's best friend, who was to have been her ...

(1918–2004), British politician *

Mervyn Rose Mervyn Gordon Rose AM (23 January 1930 – 23 July 2017) was an Australian male tennis player who won seven Grand Slam titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles). Rose was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and turned professional in 1 ...

(born 1930), Australian tennis player * Mervyn Silva (born 1944), controversial Sri Lankan politician *

Mervyn Spence Merv "Spam" Spence is a Northern Irish musician and producer, best known for his work with Wishbone Ash and Trapeze. Musical career Spence moved to Staffordshire from Ireland in the late 1970s, and began playing with bands such as ''The Jury'' ...

(born 1965-6), Northern Irish musician * Mervyn Stockwood (1913–1995), Anglican Bishop of Southwark *

Mervyn Taylor Mervyn Taylor (28 December 1931 – 23 September 2021) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Equality and Law Reform from 1993 to 1994 and from 1994 to 1997. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-We ...

(born 1931), Irish former politician *

Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1593 – 14 May 1631; also spelled ''Mervin, Touchet''), was an English nobleman who was convicted of rape and sodomy and subsequently executed. He is the only member of parliament to be executed for a ...

(1593–1631), English nobleman convicted of rape and sodomy * Mervyn Warren (born 1964), American film composer, record producer, songwriter, pianist and vocalist * Muff Winwood (born 1943), English songwriter and record producer *

Mervyn Wood Mervyn Thomas Wood, (30 April 1917 – 19 August 2006) was an Australian rower and police officer. He was an eight-time Australian national sculling champion, four-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist. He later rose to become the Commi ...

(1917–2006), Australian rower

People with the surname

Audley Mervyn Sir Audley Mervyn of Trillick (1603?–1675) was a lawyer and politician in seventeenth-century Ireland. He was MP for County Tyrone and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons 1661-1666., page=109, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0I9AAAAAcAAJ ...

(1603?–1675), lawyer and politician in Ireland * Audley Mervyn (died 1717), Irish MP for Strabane and County Tyrone - see

Tyrone (Parliament of Ireland constituency) Tyrone was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of t ...

Audley Mervyn (died 1746) Sir Audley Mervyn of Trillick (1603?–1675) was a lawyer and politician in seventeenth-century Ireland. He was MP for County Tyrone and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons 1661–1666., page=109, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0I9AAAAAcA ...

, Irish MP for County Tyrone - see

* William Mervyn (1912–1976), English actor

Fictional characters

* Mervyn Bunter, a butler in Dorothy Sayers' stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey *

Mervyn Pumpkinhead This is a list of characters appearing in ''The Sandman'' comic book, published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. This page discusses not only events which occur in ''The Sandman'' (1989–1994), but also some occurring in spinoffs of ''The Sandman'' ...

, in ''The Sandman'' comic book * Mervyn, Sheriff of Rottingham, in the Mel Brooks film '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' * Sir Mervyn, a paladin in the video game ''

Dragon Quest VII ''Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past'' is a 2000 Japanese role-playing video game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation. It was released in North America in 2001 under the title ''Dragon ...

'' * the title character of ''

Arthur Mervyn ''Arthur Mervyn,'' a novel written by Charles Brockden Brown, was published in 1799. One of Brown's more popular novels and representative of Brown's dark, gothic style and subject matter, ''Arthur Mervyn'' is also recognized as one of the most ...

'', a 1799 novel written by Charles Brockden Brown

References

{{given name, type=both Masculine given names

People with the given name

People with the surname

Fictional characters

See also

References