Melba

Did you know?

A few things about Melba you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Melba

Melba Moore

American singer, and actress

Choose Melba and your child shares a first name with Melba Moore, an American singer, and actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Melba, like who?” Melba Moore's Wikipedia article is available in 21 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Melba Moore on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 227,273 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Melba, 7 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Melba would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMelba first shows up in US birth records in 1893, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 132 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1924, when it ranked #202. Today it's #11,932, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowMelba was 2.1× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 106,383 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 227,273.
• 🚀TrendMelba has climbed 3,156 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #11,932. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Melba means “from Melbourne”. Our records link it to English, Greek and Latin roots.

About the name Melba

Melba is a girl name of English, Greek and Latin origin meaning “from Melbourne”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-lba”. US birth records list Melba for girls from 1893 to 2025, in 121 of those 133 years. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked #202 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #11,932, with 7 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek namesLatin names