Melville Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Melville last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Melville last name
Meaning of the Melville last name: from Malleville in Normandy. Melville is a Scottish surname from Malleville in Normandy, brought to Scotland in the twelfth century. The family held lands in Midlothian and Fife. Reformer Andrew Melville shaped the Church of Scotland, and novelist Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick, carried this last name.
Arms associated with the Melville name
Coats of arms associated with the Melville surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Melville family history
This is only a glimpse of the Melville story. The full Melville history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Melville coat of arms. Get the full Melville report.
Melville name FAQ
What does the Melville name mean?
From Malleville in Normandy. Common variants include Melvin, Malleville.
Where does the Melville surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Melville coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Melville coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).