Where does the name Melanie come from?

Melanie is a girl name of Greek origin.

Is Melanie a boy or a girl name?

Melanie is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 258,313 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Melanie in 2023?

Melanie ranks #130 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1972 with 6,296 babies.

How do you pronounce Melanie?

Melanie is pronounced MEL-uh-nee (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Melanie?

Melanie is also written as Mélanie, Melania.

A name from Greek · Girl

Melanie

From μέλας (melas), "dark, black." St. Melania the Younger (5th c.) was a wealthy Roman who gave her fortune away for ascetic life. Long popular in the U.S. since Gone with the Wind (1939).

Compare

Popularity over time

A 137-year arc in numbers.

258,313 U.S. births recorded from 1886–2023.

Popularity · 1886–2023

2,121 births in 2023

1886 1954 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

MFrom μέλας (melas), "dark, black." St. Melania the Younger (5th c.) was a wealthy Roman who gave her fortune away for ascetic life. Long popular in the U.S. since Gone with the Wind (1939).

Variants & spellings

2 ways to spell "Melanie".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Mélanie Most common Melania

Quick answers

People often ask about Melanie.

What does the name Melanie mean?: Melanie means from μέλας (melas), "dark, black." St. Melania the Younger (5th c.) was a wealthy Roman who gave her fortune away for ascetic life. Long popular in the U.S. since Gone with the Wind (1939).
Where does the name Melanie come from?: Melanie is a girl name of Greek origin.
Is Melanie a boy or a girl name?: Melanie is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 258,313 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Melanie in 2023?: Melanie ranks #130 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1972 with 6,296 babies.
How do you pronounce Melanie?: Melanie is pronounced MEL-uh-nee (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Melanie?: Melanie is also written as Mélanie, Melania.

Similar names

If you love Melanie, also consider…

From γεωργός (geōrgos), "farmer, tiller of the earth" (γῆ "earth" + ἔργον "work")

Andrew

#65

Boy ·Greek

Manly, strong, courageous

Steven

#251

Boy ·Greek

An English spelling variant of Stephen, from Στέφανος (Stephanos), "crown, wreath

Margaret

#132

Girl ·Greek

From Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), "pearl," itself borrowed from an older Iranian source

Timothy

#211

Boy ·Greek

From Τιμόθεος (Timótheos), "honoring God" (τιμή "honor" + θεός "god")

Jason

#147

Boy ·Greek

From Ἰάσων (Iasōn), tied to ἰάομαι, "to heal

Nicholas

#109

Boy ·Greek

From Νικόλαος (Nikolaos), "victory of the people" (νίκη "victory" + λαός "people")

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.