nametree
← Melatibrowse · build a nametreeMele →

Melba

girl name
Origin
English
Syllables
2
Peak era
1920s/1930s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

modern coinage from the stage name of opera singer Nellie Melba, after Melbourne

Popularity, 1890–2024

peak 1920s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Melba peaked in the 1920s and the 1930s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

128 people · the #34,648 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 45

1970s1980s

Among people named Melba living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Melba

Most people given the name Melba in the United States were born between 1940 and 1969. The Melba you meet today is most often in her 60s or 70s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Melba

Chelsea Cali Ansley London Aspen Twila

The Melba deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Melba truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Melba fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Does Melba fit YOUR family?

nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.

Add Melba to your family’s tree →
BROWSEAll traditions👶 Baby namesAll names🔍 Search a nameName storiesThree-letter namesShort namesVintage revivalsGender-neutralPolishJapaneseCantoneseIrishKoreanIndianMexican American
🌐English EspañolPortuguês