Melah
An Old Hebrew feminine name meaning "salt" or "salt marsh".
Name Census estimates that about 394 living Americans carry the first name Melah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melah today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melah births was 2019 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melah. 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
394
~ 1 in 869,935 Americans
Peak year
2019
39 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,886
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Melah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 244 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Melah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melah 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 Melah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melah
The name Melah is believed to have originated in the ancient Semitic languages, particularly in the Hebrew and Aramaic tongues. Its roots can be traced back to the word "melah," which means "salt" or "saline." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been associated with concepts such as purification, preservation, or even fertility in ancient times.
In biblical texts, the name Melah is not explicitly mentioned as a personal name. However, the term "melah" appears several times in the Hebrew Bible, often in reference to salt or its symbolic significance. For example, in the book of Leviticus, salt is described as an essential component of sacrificial offerings, highlighting its ceremonial and ritualistic importance.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Melah can be found in ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets dating back to the third millennium BCE. These tablets mention individuals with names similar to Melah, such as "Melammu" or "Melahha," suggesting that the name may have been in use among the Akkadian and Sumerian civilizations of the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Melah. One such figure was Melah al-Qurtubi, a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived in the 12th century CE in modern-day Spain. He contributed significantly to the fields of theology, jurisprudence, and linguistics, leaving a lasting impact on the intellectual and cultural landscape of the time.
Another prominent figure was Melah bint Abi Ishaq, a 9th-century Arab poet and literary figure from Baghdad. Her poetic works were highly regarded, and she was celebrated for her mastery of the Arabic language and her contributions to the literary arts.
In the realm of music, Melah Afnan was a renowned Iranian singer and composer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was celebrated for her innovative musical compositions and her role in preserving and promoting traditional Persian music.
Melah Saffar was a 10th-century Persian scholar and historian who authored several influential works on the history and culture of the region. His writings provided valuable insights into the sociopolitical landscape of the time and served as important historical references.
Lastly, Melah al-Mawsili was a prominent 9th-century Arab musician and music theorist from Mosul, Iraq. He made significant contributions to the development of Arabic music theory and is credited with establishing the foundations of the maqam system, which remains an integral part of Middle Eastern and Islamic music traditions.
People
Melah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melah 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
Melah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 394 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melah 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 869,935 US residents.
Is Melah a common name?
We classify Melah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 397 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melah most popular?
The single biggest year for Melah was 2019, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melah is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melah 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.