Woulfe gives Ó Blichin as the Gaelic-Irish form and only Bleheen as its anglicized form. Bleahan is the spelling used by Mr. P. J. Kennedy, an authority on Co. Galway names. He informs me that in his lifetime some Bleahan families in the barony of Kilconnell have changed their name to Melvin but he could find locally no authority for the change.

The Registrar-General's report on the use of synonyms shows that about seventy years ago Bleheen, Blehein and Bleheine were interchangeable with both Melvin and Melville in east Galway. Woulfe describes Ó Blichin as a variant of Ó Maoilmhín (normally Melvin etc.) or of Ó Maoilmhichíl (Mulvihil etc.).

The name Melvin is mainly located in Co. Mayo, where Melville (probably there a corruption of Melvin) is also found. Woulfe give O Mullivine as an obsolete form of Melvin. No doubt he refers to a Fiant of 1601 in which this name occurs: no location is mentioned, but the other people in the same document are of places in the south of Ireland, so the equation must be accepted with reserve.