The first name Melba
A girl’s name.
Pronounced /ˈmɛlbə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Coined by Nellie Melba as a pseudonym; derived from Melbourne.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Melba at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 7 girls born in the United States were named Melba, the 12,736th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 998 were.
34,925
babies named Melba since 1880
#12,736
rank in 2025
1924
peak year
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Melba
7 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Melba MooreAmerican singer, and actress, born 1945
- Melba ListonAmerican jazz trombonist, musical arranger, and composer (1926–1999)
- Melba MontgomeryAmerican musician (1938–2025)
- Melba PhillipsAmerican physicist and science educator (1907–2004)
- Melba HernándezCuban politician, 1921–2014
- Melba Roy MoutonAfrican-American Assistant Chief of Research Programs at NASA, 1929–1990
- Melba Pattillo BealsAmerican journalist and educator, born 1941
Questions
- What does the name Melba mean?
- Coined by Nellie Melba as a pseudonym; derived from Melbourne.
- Is Melba a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 34,925 US babies named Melba since 1880 were girls.
- When was Melba most popular?
- 1924 in the United States, when 998 babies were named Melba, its highest rank at 202nd.
- How do you pronounce Melba?
- Melba is /ˈmɛlbə/, 2 syllables.