Melaina
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "the dark, black one".
Name Census estimates that about 1,153 living Americans carry the first name Melaina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melaina today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melaina births was 2004 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melaina. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 297,272 Americans
Peak year
2004
78 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,770
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Melaina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melaina from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 438 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melaina 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 Melaina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Melaina, while New York, Missouri, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Melaina
The name Melaina has its roots in the Greek language and can be traced back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "melaina," which means "black" or "dark." This name was likely given to children with dark hair or complexions in ancient Greece.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Melaina can be found in ancient Greek literature, where it was used as a descriptor for various things with a dark color or appearance. However, there are no known historical figures from ancient Greece with this specific name.
The name Melaina seems to have been more commonly used during the Byzantine era, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century. One notable figure from this period was Melaina of Constantinople (c. 1035 – c. 1100), a Byzantine noblewoman and poet who wrote several works in Greek.
In the Middle Ages, the name Melaina was also used in various parts of Europe, although it was not as common as some other Greek-derived names. One notable bearer of this name was Melaina of Arles (c. 1160 – c. 1220), a French noblewoman and patron of the arts who supported various poets and writers during her lifetime.
During the Renaissance period, the name Melaina gained some popularity among certain intellectual circles, particularly in Italy. One notable figure from this time was Melaina Pisano (c. 1420 – c. 1490), an Italian mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of geometry and algebra.
Another notable bearer of the name Melaina was Melaina de Medici (1555 – 1619), a member of the influential Medici family in Florence, Italy. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of various artists and intellectuals during the Renaissance period.
In more recent history, the name Melaina has been used sporadically in various parts of the world, although it remains relatively uncommon compared to some other Greek-derived names. Overall, the name Melaina has a rich historical legacy that spans centuries and cultures, with its origins deeply rooted in the ancient Greek language and its meaning associated with darkness or a dark complexion.
People
Melaina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melaina 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
Melaina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melaina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melaina 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 297,272 US residents.
Is Melaina a common name?
We classify Melaina as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,188 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melaina most popular?
The single biggest year for Melaina was 2004, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melaina is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melaina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melaina 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.