 Oberalben had its first documentary mention in 1387, and was once known as "Alben", later acquiring the prefix "Ober—" ("Upper") to distinguish it from Alben an der Steinalb (Niederalben) some 8 km away.As for the vanished village of Mayweiler, its name has the common German placename ending "—weiler", which as a standalone word means "hamlet" (originally "homestead").The prefix that went with this was derived from "Milo", a Frankish personal name.