Melanie

Did you know?

A few things about Melanie you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Melanie

Melanie Griffith

American actress

Choose Melanie and your child shares a first name with Melanie Griffith, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Melanie, like who?” Melanie Griffith's Wikipedia article is available in 72 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Melanie Griffith on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Pamela Price, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 775 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Melanie, 2,074 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Melanie would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMelanie first shows up in US birth records in 1886, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 139 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1972, when it ranked #42. Today it's #142, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendMelanie has slipped 37 places over the last five years and now sits at #142. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedMelanie is the #76 girl name in 2 states, including California, Texas and Texas. It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Melanie means “black, dark”.

About the name Melanie

Melanie is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “black, dark”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-nie”. US birth records list Melanie for girls from 1886 to 2025, in 136 of those 140 years. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked #42 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #142, with 2,074 babies.

Origin:Greek names