Total births
34,873
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.
- #11152
- among girls today
- 34,873
- born since 1893
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Melba is the #11152 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 #11152 nationally today, ahead of 37% 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.
- #11152 among girls today
- 34,873 born since 1893
- 1920s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Melba is currently the #11152 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 34,873 born since 1893, peaking in the 1920s.
- #11152
- among girls today
- 34,873
- born since 1893
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Melba vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11152
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Melba was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
998 babies were named Melba in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Melba compares
34,873 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 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 91x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melba | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,873 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 998 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1924
Current rank
#11,152
Active since
1893
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
Texas share of Melba's total US births 17.0%
Even split
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? ▼
34,873 babies have been named Melba since 1893. It currently ranks #11152 among girls. The peak year was 1924 with 998 births.
When was Melba most popular? ▼
Melba was most popular in the 1920s decade with 9,099 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Melba most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Melba are Texas (5,944 births), Missouri (2,103 births), Arkansas (1,851 births).
How long has the name Melba been used? ▼
Melba has been recorded in Social Security data since 1893, spanning 133 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Melba? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melissa, Melanie, Melinda, Melody, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Melissa Girl
#379 760,128 births
Melanie Girl
#122 262,640 births
Melinda Girl
#2099 135,822 births
Melody Girl
#91 114,914 births
Melina Girl
#630 19,926 births
Compare Melba side by side: Melba vs Melissa Melba vs Melanie Melba vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melba
Theora #11151
853 births · Peak 1929
Senia #11153
576 births · Peak 1994
Lolita #11150
8,664 births · Peak 1963
Merna #11154
2,461 births · Peak 1930
Jack #11149
2,734 births · Peak 1928
Sayde #11155
725 births · Peak 2009
Benita #11148
13,669 births · Peak 1961
Nydia #11156
3,704 births · Peak 1992
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Melba: #11152 Girls' Name - 34,873 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/melba. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.