A surname, most famously associated with Herman Melville, the American author of 'Moby-Dick' and other classic works. Also refers to various places named after individuals with this surname.
From Norman French, originally a place name meaning 'bad town' or 'unfortunate settlement,' from 'mal' (bad) and 'ville' (town). The name came to Britain with Norman conquest and later traveled to America with settlers.
Herman Melville's masterpiece 'Moby-Dick' was largely ignored during his lifetime, selling only about 3,000 copies, yet it's now considered one of the greatest American novels. The irony of a surname meaning 'bad town' belonging to someone who created some of literature's most celebrated fictional voyages across the seas!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.