Melanie
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie.
Meaning & Origin of Melanie
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Melanie
Melanie first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1886, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1972, when 6,295 Melanies were born — ranking #42 that year. As of 2026, Melanie ranks #141 for baby girls with 2,107 births, falling sharply (-20%). In total, more than 265K Melanies have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Melanie
Phonetically similar names — useful when Melanie is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Melanie
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About the name Melanie
Melanie is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1886 and has accumulated 265K births in the dataset. Melanie's peak popularity came in 1972 when it ranked #42. Use the chart and map above to compare Melanie's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1972 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.