Melville

Melville is an English given name derived from the Scottish surname of the same origin. The surname Melville itself has two distinct etymological roots: a Norman French place name and an Irish Gaelic patronymic. The Scottish branch comes from the Norman French Malleville (modern Malleville in Normandy), which combines mal meaning "bad" and ville meaning "town" or "settlement," thus yielding the meaning "bad town." This habitational name was brought to Scotland during the Norman conquest. In Ireland, Melville is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Ó Maoilmhichíl, meaning "descendant of Maoilmhichil means "devotee of (Saint) Michael."

Notable Bearers

The name Melville gained prominence mainly through the American novelist Herman Melville (1819–1891), author of such classics as Moby-Dick, Typee, and Billy Budd. Herman Melville’s paternal grandparents bore the surname Melville, and his legacy has made the surname widely recognized as a given name in English-speaking regions.

• Melville J. Herskovits (1895–1963), American anthropologist and founder of African-American studies.
• Melville Dewey (1851–1931), American librarian and inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification system.
• Melville Bell (1819–1905), Scottish-born educator and inventor of Visible Speech; father of Alexander Graham Bell.

Distribution and Usage

As a given name, Melville is most common in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, often chosen by families with Scottish or academic heritage. The name is relatively rare compared to its parent surname, but it retains a scholarly and literary aura due to its most famous bearer. The spelling variation Melvill exists but is uncommon.

• Meaning: “bad town” (Norman French)
• Origin: Norman French place name Malleville; also Irish Gaelic patronymic Ó Maoilmhichíl
• Type: Given name derived from surname
• Usage Regions: English-speaking countries (especially US, UK, Canada)