Girls' name · since 1893
Melba
Melba has 34,873 recorded births since 1893 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1924 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #752 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,981 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,873
- born since 1893
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Melba is the #11981 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 34,873 recorded since 1893.
Social Security Administration records show Melba recorded 34,873 times among girls since 1893, holding rank #11981 nationally today, ahead of 31% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1893 to 2025.
- #752 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #11,981 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 34,873 born since 1893
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melba ranks #752 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,981 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 34,873 born since 1893, peaking in the 1920s.
- #752 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,981 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,873
- born since 1893
- 1920s
- peak decade
Melba's 34,873 recorded births place it above 98.96% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Melba compares
34,873 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Melba's all-time total is 93x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melba | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,873 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 998 | 21 | 19,840 |
Melba's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Melba's full recorded timeline at 1953, 16% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 84% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2013, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1924 peak of 998 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Melba popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1893–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 998
- Annual births at peak, across 133 years of records
Melba popularity over time - boys
52 total births recorded since 1921 (Melba as boys' name)
Melba by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (9,099 births, 26% of the file).
1920s was Melba's strongest decade.
9,099 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Melba births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 216
1890s
216 births
- 1900s 763
1900s
763 births
- 1910s
1910s
4,538 births
- 1920s
1920s
9,099 births
- 1930s
1930s
7,951 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,691 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,792 births
- 1960s 1,538
1960s
1,538 births
- 1970s 736
1970s
736 births
- 1980s 311
1980s
311 births
- 1990s 129
1990s
129 births
- 2000s 50
2000s
50 births
- 2010s 28
2010s
28 births
- 2020s 31
2020s
31 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 9,099 births (26% of all-time use).
How Melba compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Melba's total volume
Melba by state
Where Melba concentrates geographically, total births since 1893
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 5,944 | 17.0% |
| #2 | Missouri | | 2,103 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Arkansas | | 1,851 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 1,827 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 1,759 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 1,758 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 1,747 | 5.0% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,627 | 4.7% |
5,944 of 34,873 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Melba appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melba? ▼
Where does Melba sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Melba most popular? ▼
Where is Melba most popular? ▼
How long has the name Melba been used? ▼
What names are similar to Melba? ▼
What to do with Melba's data
- Melba's decade-level peak was the 1920s (9,099 total births); usage has since declined to 31 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Melbas (5,944 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Melba
Nearby Names Like Melba
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melba
Compare Melba side by side: Melba vs Melissa Melba vs Melanie Melba vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melba
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Melba: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
Similar record span (~132 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1893–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Melba draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.