The name English
Melvin in the btn database is said to come from the Scottish surname
Melville. However, a few sources I've found say it comes from Old English elements "maethel" which means "council" or "meeting", and from "wine" which means "friend". In the btn database I discovered Germanic cognate elements, "mathal" and "win". I can see a very close resemblance between Maethelwine and
Melvin, considering how names are ordinarily Anglicized, and even greater resemblance with the
German cognates, where Mathalwin gives way to
Melvin. Is Maethelwine an accurate etymology of
Melvin? Below are some of the sources I found that claim this origin.
Inspired Baby Names from Around the World: 6,000 Favorite Worldwide Names and the Meaning Behind Them by Neala
Shane (p. 529)
http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/boy/melvin
https://www.etymonline.com/word/melvin
https://www.yourdictionary.com/melvin
http://thenamesdictionary.com/name-meanings/32772/name-meaning-of-melvin