Message: "Melba" - Behind the Name

[Opinions] Melba

by Bear

2/2/2009, 2:25 PM

I've always had a secret yen for Melba. No, not toast. Or peaches. The name Melba. The "mel" sound reminds me of honey. There aren't many name I know ending in "-ba" either, which gives it a bonus point in my book. Rearrange the letters and you get Mabel, which could be a way to honor a Mabel in your life.

So. What do you think of Melba? Any mn ideas? Can you see it being used again or is it hopelessly lost?

#Melba

This message was edited 2/2/2009, 2:51 PM

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- Emily (1crzychick)

2/4/2009, 1:43 PM

I don't love the sound, but one of the Little Rock Nine was a Melba (I think her name is Melba Patillo), so that makes me like it more.

- abbasdaughter +1

2/4/2009, 4:55 AM

perhaps a name for a pet mouse...

for some reason it just struck me as a good name for a pet mouse... Don't know why, but it just did... kind of cute.

- Bear

2/4/2009, 11:28 AM

OK. Even mice need great names. Melba the Mouse it is. :-)

- RegalAmethyst +4

2/2/2009, 3:30 PM

I've never even heard of Melba toast before. I had to look it up just to see what it was, and it doesn't seem to me like something a lot of people would know about, though apparently they do?

I think Melba is pretty. I know what you mean about names ending in -ba, the only other one I can think of is Rosalba.

This is a completely new name for me, so I'm not sure how good these combos are going to be-

Melba Ambrosine
Melba Celeste
Melba Celestine
Melba Clio
Melba Cybele
Melba Darcy
Melba Demeter
Melba Demetria
Melba Despoina
Melba Devi
Melba Dorothea / Dorothy
Melba Eniko
Melba Eponine
Melba Eveline
Melba Ffion
Melba Filipa / Phillipa
Melba Georgette
Melba Georgine
Melba Helene
Melba Hester
Melba Idony
Melba Ione

... Load Full Message

- abbasdaughter +1

2/3/2009, 4:44 PM

Are you in Europe? Maybe Melba Toast is a N. American thing. People in N. Am. would tend to know about it, but the mindset of some of your posts makes me think you're likely from elsewhere... which would explain why you've never heard of Melba Toast before now.

- RegalAmethyst

2/3/2009, 9:42 PM

No, I'm born and raised in the US. Though, moving to Europe (Slovakia please!) is my life-long dream. Hopefully within the next 10 years! I have no idea why I've never heard of Melba Toast.

- Bear +1

2/2/2009, 5:48 PM

I'm glad someone else besides me likes the "-ba" ending. Rosalba is mesmerizing to me. It shouldn't work, but it does.

Your list is terrific. My favorites:

Melba Celeste
Melba Dorothy
Melba Georgine (Exactly the combo I had in mind -- a gold star for you!)
Melba Hester
Melba Rosaline
Melba Theophania (I never would have come up with that on my own)
Melba Victorine
Melba Clotilde (heaven)
Melba Eileen
Melba Ermintrude :-)
Melba Josephine
Melba Lenore (they flow so naturally together)
Melba Solveig

Thanks!

- abbasdaughter

2/3/2009, 4:44 PM

I like Rosalba better than Melba.

- Murasaki (lady murasaki) +1

2/3/2009, 4:33 AM

it sounds nice, but reminds me way too much of the desert.

- Bear

2/3/2009, 9:15 AM

Grrrrrr, but thanks! :-)

- Aine (poetic_freedom) +1

2/2/2009, 7:34 PM

Melba is the name of my neighbour's dog- so besides good old Dame Nellie that is my first association. I guess if I just think about the sound and block out everything else, it is quite sweet sounding. But Dame Nellie is such an Australian icon, I think I would get some very weird looks and comments if I named a kid Melba. I am sure it has been used in Australia in the past, probably more so than in other countries, but I don't think it would get a warm reception these days. Oh and my third association is the park I take my little sisters to sometimes is Melba Park...

- Bear

2/3/2009, 9:15 AM

Thanks. :-)

Here in the U.S. the Dame Nellie association isn't so strong. I'd be more concerned about toast and peach associations here.

So many obstacles for my little Melbe to overcome. . . . She does have sweet sound, though, doesn't she?

- Llewella (penguiny7) +1

2/2/2009, 7:15 PM

I think it's kind of neat, actually. It sounds close to Malva, which I like. Sorry, I don't have time to come up with combos at the moment, which I'd like to actually put effor into!

- Bear

2/3/2009, 9:12 AM

I respect a serious combiner. :-) Thanks for the input. Malva is interesting. Do you have any information on Malva?

- Laurenzia (pinkmoon_lj) +1

2/2/2009, 6:48 PM

Melba is the name of the principal of the all girls' school just down the road from my school. I have several friends at that school, and I only ever hear the name said in jest as they immitate one of her speeches.

Melba does have quite a sweet sound, although I don't find the etymology particularly interesting.

A few suggestions (sorry for any repeats):
Melba Hazel
Melba Salome
Melba Jessica
Melba Dove
Melba Georgette/ Georgina
Melba Winifred
Melba Antonia
Melba Dorothy
Melba Jamesina
Melba Zephyrine
Melba Peace
Melba Thomasina
Melba Ottoline
Melba Leonore
Melba Manuela
Melba Laurentine
Melba Olivie
Melba Sophie

- Bear

2/3/2009, 9:11 AM

Thanks! I love:

Melba Hazel
Melba Dove
Melba Georgina
Melba Winifred
Melba Dorothy
Melba Jamesina
Melba Ottoline
Melba Leonore
Melba Laurentine
Melba Sophie

:-)

- Alcyone +1

2/2/2009, 6:23 PM

Even if it weren't for the toast, I probably still wouldn't be a fan of Melba since I don't really care for names ending in -ba. Alba and Elba are also NMS, but I think they're more usable than Melba. On the other hand, I do tend to like names with "mel" in them. I think Melina and Melinda are quite pretty.

MN ideas for Melba:
Melba Rosalie
Melba Guinevere
Melba Charlotte
Melba Gwendolyn / Gwendolen
Melba Frances
Melba Adeline
Melba Adelaide
Melba Constance
Melba Florence
Melba Hyacinth
Melba Rosemary
Melba Josephine

This message was edited 2/2/2009, 6:24 PM

- Bear

2/3/2009, 9:08 AM

Thanks. I love:

Melba Rosalie
Melba Charlotte
Melba Gwendolen
Melba Frances
Melba Adelaide (sort of an Australian city who's who)
Melba Constance
Melba Josephine

:-)

- Samdzz +1

2/2/2009, 4:28 PM

I'm not much of a fan, it really does remind me of the toast. If I had never heard of 'Melba Toast' I might actually like it, however.

- Bear

2/2/2009, 5:50 PM

Aw, a near miss.

But thanks anyway. :-)

This message was edited 2/2/2009, 5:50 PM

- Renae (guest) +1

2/2/2009, 4:05 PM

I'm sorry, but the name Melba reminds me of an old lady married to a man named Belby. I'm not a fan of this name, although I do like Mabel.

- Bear

2/2/2009, 5:49 PM

Well, 50% is pretty good when it comes to old fashioned names. :-) Thanks. Glad you like Mabel.

- itsjustme2407 +2

2/2/2009, 2:51 PM

Melba is toast. (Haha... sorry.)

there are plenty of other great Mel- names floating around, ones that dont make people think of snack foods. i think the poor kid would get teased mercilessly. and if you wanted to honor a Mabel in your life, what, precisely, is wrong with just using Mabel?

- Bear +1

2/2/2009, 2:54 PM

I don't have a Mabel in my life to honor. I was just pointing that aspect out for anyone else who has a Mabel to honor but didn't care for that name. A selling point, so to speak.

I'm just trying to get a handle on people's general reaction to the name Melba. That's all.

But thanks for the input!

- itsjustme2407

2/2/2009, 4:31 PM

reading that over, im sorry if it came off mean at all. i just really do think its a terrible name. i wouldnt even use it for a goldfish, and there are very few names i dislike that much...

- louris +1

2/2/2009, 2:35 PM

I don't like Mabel, but Melba sounds kind of nice. And if you like it, that's the only thing that should matter to you. Personally I think that the fact that it's not widely used is a bonus.

- Bear

2/2/2009, 2:48 PM

Thanks. :-)

I should note that I'm not thinking of using Melba on a dd. This is just a "what if?" kind of thread.

This message was edited 2/2/2009, 2:48 PM

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