US Popularity Rank: None

Origin: Scottish

Meaning: Mill town; Bad settlement

Call me Ishmael. Actually, call baby Mellin, a Scottish surname and variant of Melville, the name most often associated with Moby Dick author Herman Melville. Considered to be his finest work and one of the greatest American novels, Moby Dick follows the story of a sea captain who seeks vengeance from a whale who took his leg during a previous encounter. Outside of the literary context, Melville could have French roots and a meaning of “mill town.” The Mellins, however, originally hailed from Melville in Scotland. This moniker also denotes those from Melville, Germany; Melling, England; and Malleville, France. The latter is derived from the Latin mala, meaning “bad,” and ville, meaning “settlement.” Of course, there’s no “bad settlement” for little Mellin to live in. They’re sure to be the captain of their own ship, unafraid to set sail and venture into uncharted waters to find their place in the world.