Mela
A feminine given name possibly derived from Greek meaning "dark, honey-colored".
Name Census estimates that about 761 living Americans carry the first name Mela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mela today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mela births was 2019 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mela. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
761
~ 1 in 450,400 Americans
Peak year
2019
55 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,530
Tracked since 1905
Popularity
Mela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mela from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 338 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mela remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mela by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New Mexico, California, New York recorded the most babies named Mela, while Michigan, Florida, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mela
The name Mela has its origins in ancient Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "mela," which means "gathering" or "assembly," and was often used to refer to festivals or fairs.
In Hindu mythology, the name Mela is associated with the goddess Lakshmi, the deity of prosperity and wealth. It is believed that the name may have been given to children in the hope that they would bring good fortune and abundance to their families.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Mela can be found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. In the epic, Mela is mentioned as the name of a female character, though her role is not significant.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mela. One such person was Mela Mehter Khandayat (1760-1840), a prominent Odia poet and writer from the Indian state of Odisha. His works played a crucial role in the development of modern Odia literature.
Another notable figure was Mela Feo (1370-1444), an Italian jurist and professor of law who taught at the University of Pavia. He was renowned for his expertise in civil and canon law and wrote several influential legal treatises.
In the 16th century, Mela Narayanan (1500-1560) was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and commentator from Kerala, India. He authored numerous works on Hindu philosophy, grammar, and literature, and his commentaries on the works of Kalidasa, a renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist, are highly regarded.
During the 19th century, Mela Massari (1833-1887) was an Italian painter and sculptor known for her striking portraits and religious works. She received numerous commissions from churches and private patrons and was celebrated for her artistic talent.
In more recent times, Mela Hartwig (1893-1967) was a German writer and journalist who gained recognition for her novels and short stories depicting life in rural Germany. Her works were often praised for their vivid descriptions and insightful portrayal of human emotions.
People
Mela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mela as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 761 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mela going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 450,400 US residents.
Is Mela a common name?
We classify Mela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 988 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mela most popular?
The single biggest year for Mela was 2019, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mela is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mela in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.