Melbourne

At a Glance: Name: Melbourne – Meaning: stream by a mill – Origin: Old English (place name/surname) – Gender: primarily used for boys – Pronunciation: MEL-bern

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Melbourne started out as an Old English surname and place name meaning "stream by a mill." As a first name in the U.S., it's genuinely rare — SSA records show only a small handful of babies given this name across a full century of data. If you're drawn to it, you're choosing something with real historical roots but almost no modern usage as a given name.

Meaning & Origin of Melbourne

Meaning: Stream by a mill.

Origin: Old English (place name/surname).

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Melbourne

Phonetic: MEL-bern   IPA: /ˈmɛlbərn/

Popularity of Melbourne

Melbourne's best showing was in 1913, when it ranked #984 with 26 babies given the name; by 1989, the last year it appeared in Social Security data, it had fallen to #6691 with just 7.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1890–1989.

Make Melbourne Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Melbourne, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Emanuela
• Osmond
• Loraine
• Haynes
• Santina
• Michelina

FAQ

What does the name Melbourne mean?

Stream by a mill. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Melbourne)

How do you pronounce Melbourne?

Melbourne is pronounced MEL-bern (IPA: /ˈmɛlbərn/).

Is Melbourne a popular name right now?

Melbourne peaked at #984 in 1913 and is ranked #6691 as of 1989. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1890–1989.)

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