Melanye
Melanye is a feminine given name of Greek origin meaning "black, dark".
Name Census estimates that about 283 living Americans carry the first name Melanye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melanye today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melanye births was 2006 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melanye. 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
283
~ 1 in 1,211,146 Americans
Peak year
2006
22 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,718
Tracked since 1955
Census
Melanye in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 284 people with the first name Melanye, which placed it at #30,583 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,583
National first-name rank
People counted
284
284 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
59.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melanye
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melanye is Hispanic at 59.2%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Black (17.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Melanye described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Melanye at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.2% · 168
- White22.9% · 65
- Black or African American17.6% · 50
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Popularity
Melanye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melanye from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 129 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
Melanye 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 Melanye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melanyes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melanye
The name Melanye has its origins in the Greek language, stemming from the ancient word "melaina," which means "black" or "dark." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone with dark hair or complexion. Interestingly, Melanye is also a variation of the name Melanie, which derives from the Latin name Melania, meaning "black."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melanye can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who mentioned a woman named Melaina in his work "The Republic." This reference dates back to around 380 BCE, indicating that the name has been in use for over two millennia.
In the Christian tradition, there is a record of a Saint Melanye, who lived in the 5th century CE and was known for her piety and devotion to the Church. She is revered in some Eastern Orthodox traditions and is celebrated on December 31st in the liturgical calendar.
During the Middle Ages, the name Melanye gained popularity in certain parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong Greek cultural influence, such as Italy and parts of the Byzantine Empire. One notable figure from this period was Melanye of Mantua, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who lived in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, a French woman named Melanye de Valois gained renown as a poet and writer. Her works, which explored themes of love and spirituality, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime and contributed to the cultural renaissance of the era.
Moving into the 19th century, Melanye Hartridge was a British artist and illustrator known for her intricate botanical drawings and watercolor paintings. Her works were featured in several prominent exhibitions and publications of the time.
Throughout history, the name Melanye has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, each leaving their unique mark on their respective fields and communities. Despite its ancient roots, the name continues to resonate with a sense of elegance and sophistication, making it a timeless and enduring choice for parents seeking a name with a rich historical legacy.
People
Melanye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melanye 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
Melanye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melanye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 283 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melanye 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 1,211,146 US residents.
Is Melanye a common name?
We classify Melanye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 296 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melanye most popular?
The single biggest year for Melanye was 2006, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melanye is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Melanye in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 284 people with the name Melanye, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,583 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Melanye in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Melanye?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Melanye leans strongly female. 288 people counted with this name were female (99.0%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Melanye?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melanye is Hispanic at 59.2%. The next largest groups are White (22.9%) and Black (17.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Melanye most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Melanye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.2% (168 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Melanye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Melanye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melanye 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.
Is Melanye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Melanye in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Melanye can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Melanye?
See how many Americans are named Melanye on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.