Melaney
A variant spelling of the feminine name Melanie, derived from the Greek melaina meaning "black" or "dark."
Name Census estimates that about 1,163 living Americans carry the first name Melaney. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melaney today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melaney births was 2007 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melaney. 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 294,716 Americans
Peak year
2007
38 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,323
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Melaney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melaney from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 262 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
Melaney 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 Melaney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melaneys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Melaney, while Illinois, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Melaney
The name Melaney has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "melaina," which means "black" or "dark." The name is thought to have been originally used as a descriptive term referring to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
In ancient Greek mythology, Melaney was the name of one of the Nereids, the sea nymph daughters of the god Nereus and the Oceanid Doris. The Nereids were minor goddesses who were often depicted as accompanying the chariot of the sea god Poseidon. This early mythological reference suggests that the name Melaney has been in use since at least the 8th century BCE.
The name Melaney is also mentioned in the works of some ancient Greek writers, such as the poet Pindar, who lived in the 5th century BCE. Pindar's writings contain references to a woman named Melaney, although little is known about her historical significance.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Melaney is from the 3rd century BCE, when a Greek woman named Melaney of Ephesus was known for her contributions to the arts and philosophy. She is believed to have been a student of the philosopher Epicurus and is mentioned in some philosophical texts from that era.
In the Middle Ages, the name Melaney was also used in various parts of Europe, particularly in France and Italy. One notable figure from this time period was Melaney of Aquitaine (c. 1040-1119), a French noblewoman who was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of religious orders.
During the Renaissance, the name Melaney gained popularity among artists and intellectuals. One prominent example is Melaney Scuderi (1676-1718), an Italian writer and poet who was celebrated for her literary works and her membership in various academic societies.
In more recent centuries, the name Melaney has continued to be used, though it has never been among the most popular names. Some notable individuals named Melaney include Melaney Klein (1899-1976), an American painter and printmaker; Melaney Kniffen (1902-1988), an American author and historian; and Melaney Griffith (1923-2010), an American actress and model.
People
Melaney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melaney 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
Melaney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melaney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melaney 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 294,716 US residents.
Is Melaney a common name?
We classify Melaney as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,259 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melaney most popular?
The single biggest year for Melaney was 2007, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melaney is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melaney a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melaney 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.