Holding steady.
Popularity of Melbourne since 1890
Babies named Melbourne per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1922, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Melbourne's real moment was 1901.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 21 |
| 1910s | 228 |
| 1920s | 328 |
| 1930s | 178 |
| 1940s | 141 |
| 1950s | 77 |
| 1960s | 17 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 7 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Melbourne is a place name that saw brief use as a given name in the United States around the turn of the 20th century. According to Social Security data, its peak year was 1901, when it achieved a rank of 977th. The name first appeared in records in 1890 and has remained extremely rare since, with no recorded births in the latest year. Its trajectory over the past century has been stable at near zero usage. Melbourne's top state usage is not available due to its rarity, but it fits a pattern of place-name adoption in the early 1900s. The name is derived from the Old English words for 'mill' and 'stream,' evoking a pastoral landscape.
Melbourne is derived from the Old English elements 'mylen' (mill) and 'burna' (stream), referring to a mill stream. The name originally denoted the English town in Derbyshire, which later gave its name to the Australian city. As a given name, it saw modest use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the United States, likely inspired by the city's prominence.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Mel
Sibling names for Melbourne
Names that share Melbourne's style, for a brother or sister.
