Melea
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "ash tree" or "honey".
Name Census estimates that about 1,012 living Americans carry the first name Melea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melea today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melea births was 2006 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melea. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 338,690 Americans
Peak year
2006
32 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,969
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Melea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melea from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 227 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
Melea 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 Melea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meleas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melea
The given name Melea has its roots in the ancient Greek language and culture, originating around the 5th century BC. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "meli," meaning honey, and may have been associated with sweetness, nourishment, or fertility in ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Melea can be found in the works of the Greek poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 6th century BC. In her poetry, she refers to a woman named Melea, suggesting that the name was in use during that era.
In ancient Greek mythology, there was a character named Melea, who was a nymph associated with the island of Samos. According to legend, she was the daughter of the river god Meles and was said to have nursed the infant god Dionysus with honey.
During the Byzantine era, around the 6th century AD, there was a saint named Melea who was a nun and lived in a convent in Constantinople. She is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and her feast day is celebrated on October 31st.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Melea was a Greek noblewoman who lived in the 12th century AD. She was the wife of the Byzantine general and governor of Crete, Constantine Doukas.
Another notable figure with the name Melea was a Greek poet and scholar who lived in the 15th century AD. She was known for her works in both Greek and Latin and was part of the intellectual circle in Constantinople during the Renaissance era.
In the 16th century, there was a Venetian noblewoman named Melea Grimani, who was a patron of the arts and supported many artists and writers during her lifetime.
In the 18th century, Melea Tsakoni was a Greek revolutionary and fighter who participated in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Melea Kuloglou was a Greek writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education in Greece.
People
Melea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melea 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
Melea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,012 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melea 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 338,690 US residents.
Is Melea a common name?
We classify Melea as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,082 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melea most popular?
The single biggest year for Melea was 2006, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melea is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melea 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.