# Melanie (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/melanie/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “black”, “dark” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɛləni/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Mellie |
| Variant spellings | Melony |
| US babies named this | 263,254 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 614 / 262,640 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,488, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From French Mélanie, from Latin Melania, the name of two Roman fifth century saints, from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black, dark”).

## What it means

Melanie is grouped under black.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,289 | 89 |
| 2012 | 3,467 | 77 |
| 2013 | 3,474 | 84 |
| 2014 | 3,701 | 81 |
| 2015 | 3,497 | 81 |
| 2016 | 3,490 | 82 |
| 2017 | 3,240 | 90 |
| 2018 | 2,850 | 105 |
| 2019 | 2,592 | 110 |
| 2020 | 2,528 | 105 |
| 2021 | 2,188 | 129 |
| 2022 | 2,173 | 130 |
| 2023 | 2,121 | 130 |
| 2024 | 2,253 | 122 |
| 2025 | 2,074 | 142 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 8 | 6,906 |
| 1997 | 9 | 6,435 |
| 1999 | 8 | 7,628 |
| 2000 | 13 | 5,488 |
| 2001 | 7 | 8,919 |
| 2002 | 7 | 9,071 |
| 2003 | 8 | 8,355 |
| 2004 | 16 | 5,174 |
| 2005 | 11 | 6,948 |
| 2006 | 9 | 8,510 |
| 2007 | 15 | 5,825 |
| 2008 | 8 | 9,564 |
| 2011 | 5 | 13,647 |
| 2014 | 7 | 10,358 |
| 2017 | 5 | 13,593 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 50 | 749 |
| 2012 | 62 | 663 |
| 2013 | 69 | 593 |
| 2014 | 70 | 589 |
| 2015 | 56 | 708 |
| 2016 | 58 | 703 |
| 2017 | 67 | 624 |
| 2018 | 68 | 602 |
| 2019 | 50 | 761 |
| 2020 | 51 | 720 |
| 2021 | 44 | 812 |
| 2022 | 44 | 809 |
| 2023 | 47 | 754 |
| 2024 | 38 | 934 |
| 2025 | 41 | 863 |

## In other languages

- Danish: Melanie
- French: Mélanie
- German: Melanie
- Polish: Melania
- Russian: Мела́ния f cognate, Мала́нья f cognate, Ме́лани f transliteration
- Spanish: Melania
- Ukrainian: Мела́нія

## People named Melanie

- Melanie Griffith, American actress
- Melanie Martinez, American singer-songwriter (born 1995)
- Mélanie Laurent, French actress, model, director and writer
- Melanie Klein, British Austrian born psychoanalyst (1882–1960)
- Melanie C, British pop singer (born 1974)
- Melanie Brown, British singer and television personality (born 1975)
- Melanie, American musician (1947–2024)
- Melanie Oudin, American tennis player
- Mélanie Thierry, French actress and model
- Melanie Leupolz, German association football player
- Melanie Thornton, American singer (1967–2001)
- Mélanie Bonis, French composer (1858-1937)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.