ɪt wʌz nˈeɪmd ˈæftɚɹ ˈændɹuː mˈɛlvɪl, ɐ sˈɪkstiːnθsˈɛntʃɚɹi skˈɑːɾɪʃ skˈɑːlɚ, θiːəlˈoʊdʒən ænd ɹᵻlˈɪdʒəs ɹᵻfˈoːɹmɚ hˌuː wʌzɐ ɡɹˈædʒuːət ʌvðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi, ænd hˌuː lˈeɪɾɚ bɪkˌeɪm ɪts ɹˈɛktɚ ænd dˈiːn ʌv θɪˈɑːlədʒi.
It was named after Andrew Melville, a 16th-century Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer who was a graduate of the University, and who later became its rector and dean of theology.