Melville (surname)
Encyclopedia
Melville is a surname
and a given name
. The surname has two different origins: Scottish
and Irish
. The given name originates from England
and Scotland.
In Scotland the name is a habitational name
, originally of Norman origin, derived from any of several places called Malleville in Normandy
. The place name Malleville is derived from the Latin
elements mala meaning "bad", and ville meaning "settlement". In Ireland the surname is an Anglicisation
of the Gaelic Ó Maoilmhichíl which means "descendant of Maoilmhichil". The Gaelic personal name Maoilmhichil means "devotee of (Saint) Michael". The surname is sometimes spelled without the terminal "e": Melvill.
Given name
The given name Melville is of English and Scottish origin. The name is derived from the Scottish surname.
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
and a given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
. The surname has two different origins: Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The given name originates from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland.
Origins
SurnameIn Scotland the name is a habitational name
Habitational name
A habitational name is a type of name. These names denote the starting inhabited location. Such locations can be any type of settlement, such as: homesteads, farms, enclosures, villages, hamlets, strongholds or cottages. The second element of a habitational name describes the type of settlement...
, originally of Norman origin, derived from any of several places called Malleville in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The place name Malleville is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
elements mala meaning "bad", and ville meaning "settlement". In Ireland the surname is an Anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Gaelic Ó Maoilmhichíl which means "descendant of Maoilmhichil". The Gaelic personal name Maoilmhichil means "devotee of (Saint) Michael". The surname is sometimes spelled without the terminal "e": Melvill.
Given name
The given name Melville is of English and Scottish origin. The name is derived from the Scottish surname.
Surname
- Alan Melville (writer), English playwright, composer, lyricist, scriptwriter and performer
- Alan MelvilleAlan MelvilleAlan Melville was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year ....
(1910–1983), South African cricketer - Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven, 4th Earl of MelvilleAlexander Melville, 5th Earl of LevenAlexander Melville , 5th Earl of Leven was the son of David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven....
(died 1754) - Andy MelvilleAndy MelvilleAndrew Roger Melville is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender....
(born 1968), Welsh footballer - Andrew MelvilleAndrew MelvilleAndrew Melville was a Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European Continent to study at Glasgow and St Andrews.-Early life and early education:...
(1545–1622), Scottish theologian - Arthur MelvilleArthur MelvilleArthur Melville was a Scottish painter, now probably best remembered for his Orientalist subjects.He was born in Scotland, in a village of Haddingtonshire...
(1858–1904), Scottish painter - Betty Leslie-MelvilleBetty Leslie-MelvilleBetty Leslie-Melville was an American conservationist. She was instrumental in creating sanctuaries to preserve the subspecies of the Rothschild's giraffe in Kenya...
(died 2005), American conservationist - David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven, 2nd Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 3rd Earl of LevenDavid Leslie-Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven and 2nd Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat, politician, and soldier.The third son of George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville and his second wife Catherine Leslie-Melville, he shared the Whig political and the Presbyterian religious sympathies of his...
(1660–1728), Scots aristocrat, politician, and soldier - David Melville, 6th Earl of Leven, 5th Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 6th Earl of LevenDavid Melville, 6th Earl of Leven was the son of Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven.Grand Master of Scottish Freemasons 1759-61; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland; a Lord of Police 1772-82; High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1783-1801On 29 July 1747, he...
(1722–1802) - Frederick John MelvilleFred MelvilleFrederick John Melville was a British philatelist, prolific philatelic author and founder of The Junior Philatelic Society. He was also a founder in 1907 of the Philatelic Literature Society...
(1882–1940), early British philatelist - George Melville, 4th Lord MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat and statesman during the reigns of William and Mary.In 1643, he succeeded his father as Lord Melville.-Career:...
(1636–1707), became 1st Earl of Melville in 1690 - George W. MelvilleGeorge W. MelvilleGeorge Wallace Melville was an engineer of the United States Navy who became a rear admiral.-Civil War:Melville was born in New York City on 10 January 1841. After graduating from Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, he entered the U.S...
(1841–1912), United States admiral - George Whyte-MelvilleGeorge Whyte-MelvilleGeorge John Whyte-Melville was a Scottish novelist of the sporting-field and a poet.-Life and work:Born at Mount Melville, near St. Andrews. He achieved immediate success as a writer of fox-hunting stories with his first novel Digby Grand in 1854...
(1821–1878), Scottish novelist - Gertrude MelvilleGertrude MelvilleGertrude Mary Melville née Day was the first woman elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1952.-References:...
(1884–1959), Australian politician - Henry Melville (1798–1871), Anglican priest
- Herman MelvilleHerman MelvilleHerman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
(1819–1891), American author of Moby-Dick - several people, James Melville
- James Melville (1535-1617)
- James Melville (1556–1614), Scottish divine and reformer
- James Melville (politician)James Melville (politician)Sir James Benjamin Melville KC James Melville was born at Le Havre, France, son of William Melville, from County Kerry, Ireland, who was stationed there on Intelligence work...
(1885–1931), British Labour Party politician, Solicitor-General 1929–1930 - James Cosmo Melvill (1845–1929), British malacologist
- James Melville of HalhillJames Melville of HalhillSir James Melville was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer.Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason in 1548. One of his brothers was Robert, 1st Baron Melville of Monimail . James Melville in 1549 went to France to become...
(1535–1617), Scottish diplomat and memoir writer - Jean-Pierre Melville (1917–1973), French film director
- Kerry ReidKerry ReidKerry Melville Reid, MBE, is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tournaments. Reid was included in the year-end world top ten rankings for 12...
, Australian tennis player Kerry Melville - Sir Leslie Melville (1902–2002), Australian economist
- Michael Linning MelvilleMichael Linning MelvilleMichael Linning Melville born Edinburgh, was a Scots Barrister, Judge and Lieutenant Governor of Sierra Leone. He was commissioned by King William IV of the United Kingdom to suppress the slave trade by force off the West Coast of Africa....
, Judge and Lieutenant Governor of Sierra Leone - Mike Melville (born 1940), test pilot
- Mr Melvill, Latin teacher
- Neil MelvilleNeil MelvilleNeil Melville is an Australian actor. He was born in Sydney, but spent most of his childhood in Apollo Bay, Victoria.Melville graduated from Adelaide's Flinders University with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, and performed in a number of university productions, including, most notably, the world...
, Australian actor - Pauline MelvillePauline MelvillePauline Melville is a Guyanese-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter , a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize , and the Guardian Fiction Prize.The book consists of a number of short stories dealing...
(born 1948), British actress - Philip Melville (1762–1811), Falmouth philanthropist
- Ronald MelvilleRonald MelvilleRonald Melville was an English botanist, based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. He is chiefly remembered for his wartime research into rosehips as a source of vitamin C, prompted by the epidemic of scurvy amongst children owing to the reduced importation of fresh fruit...
(1903–1985), English botanist - Ronald Ruthven Melville, 11th Earl of Leven, 10th Earl of MelvilleRonald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of LevenRonald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven and 10th Earl of Melville KT PC DL was a Scottish nobleman....
(1835–1906) - Sam MelvilleSam MelvilleSamuel Joseph Melville , was the principal conspirator and bomb setter in the 1969 bombings of eight government and commercial office buildings in New York City. Melville cited his opposition to the Vietnam War and U.S. imperialism as the motivation for the bombings...
(1934–1971), American bomb setter - Stephen MelvilleStephen MelvilleGeneral Stephen Melville SSA OBE was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Air Force in 1924, and during World War II he commanded air force formations in East Africa, North Africa, Madagascar, and Italy....
(1904–1977), South African military man - Teignmouth Melville (1842–1879), VC
- Thomas MelvilleThomas MelvilleThomas Melville was a sailor and later governor of Sailors' Snug Harbor, and the younger brother of author Herman Melville....
(1726–1753), Scottish physicist - Thomas Melvill (American patriot)Thomas Melvill (American patriot)Thomas Melvill or Thomas Melville of Boston, Massachusetts, was a merchant, member of the Sons of Liberty, participant in the Boston Tea Party, a major in the American Revolution, a longtime fireman in the Boston Fire Department, state legislator, and paternal grandfather of writer Herman...
(1751–1832), Major in the American Revolution and state legislator - Ward MelvilleWard MelvilleJohn Ward Melville was an American philanthropist, and businessman, born to Frank Melville, Jr. Ward Melville attended college at Columbia University, where he was active in the Columbia Daily Spectator and the Philolexian Society. Following graduation in 1909, Melville joined his father's shoe...
(1887–1977), American philanthropist - William MelvilleWilliam MelvilleWilliam Melville was an Irish law enforcement officer and the first chief of the British Secret Service, forerunner of MI5.-Birth:...
(1850–1918), Irish law enforcement officer
Given name
- Melville ArnottMelville ArnottSir Melville Arnott was a British academic. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1931 and was appointed William Withering Chair in Medicine at the University of Birmingham in 1946, after serving in the Far East in World War II...
(died 1999) - Melville BakerMelville BakerMelville Baker was an American screenwriter. He was born in Massachusetts and died of a heart attack in Nice, France at the age of 56.-Selected filmography:* The Swan * The Circus Kid...
(1901–1958) - Melville Bell GrosvenorMelville Bell GrosvenorMelville Bell Grosvenor was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of National Geographic Magazine from 1957 to 1969...
(1901–1982) - Melville Clyde KellyMelville Clyde KellyMelville Clyde Kelly was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:M. Clyde Kelly was born in Bloomfield, Ohio. He attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio...
(1883–1935) - Melville CooperMelville CooperGeorge Melville Cooper , best known as Melville Cooper, was a British stage, film and television actor. Among his roles are the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, and Mr...
(1896–1973) - Melville EasthamMelville EasthamMelville Eastham was a noted American radio pioneer and business executive.Eastham was born in Oregon City, Oregon. After high school graduation from Portland Academy, he worked as electrician for a Portland street railway, then moved to New York City in 1905 where he worked for the Ovington X-ray...
(1885–1964) - Melville FullerMelville FullerMelville Weston Fuller was the eighth Chief Justice of the United States between 1888 and 1910.-Early life and education:...
(1833–1910) - Melville J. HerskovitsMelville J. HerskovitsMelville Jean Herskovits was an American anthropologist who firmly established African and African American studies in American academia. The son of Jewish immigrants, he obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1923 and obtained his Master's and Ph.D...
(1895–1963) - Melville MacnaghtenMelville MacNaghtenSir Melville Leslie Macnaghten CB KPM was Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police from 1903 to 1913....
(1853–1921) - Melville RuickMelville RuickActor Melville Ruick was born in Boise, Idaho on July 8, 1898. He studied law at the University of California, but World War I changed him from a student lawyer to a student pilot. Ruick won his wings in the Air Service, Signal Corps, two weeks before the end of the war.During the lean years of...
(1898–1972) - Melville Y. StewartMelville Y. StewartMelville Y. Stewart is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Bethel University, .Stewart has a B.A. from Gordon College, , an M. Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, , an S.T.M. from Andover Newton Theological School, , an M.A...