Mellanie
A feminine name derived from the French word "miel" meaning "honey".
Name Census estimates that about 1,013 living Americans carry the first name Mellanie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mellanie today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mellanie births was 2003 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mellanie. 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 338,356 Americans
Peak year
2003
31 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,004
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Mellanie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mellanie 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 213 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
Mellanie 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 Mellanie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mellanies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Mellanie, while Florida, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mellanie
The name Mellanie is a variant of the more common name Melanie, which is derived from the Greek word "melaina," meaning "black" or "dark." This name is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, and its earliest known use dates back to the 5th century BCE.
In ancient Greek mythology, Melaina was the name of a nymph who was associated with the dark and mysterious aspects of nature. The name was likely given to girls who had dark features or were born during the night or under the new moon.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Mellanie can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentions a woman named Melaina in his work "The Histories," written around 440 BCE.
During the Byzantine era, the name Melania was popular among Christian families, likely due to its association with the Greek word "melas," which means "black" and was often used to symbolize piety and humility.
In the Middle Ages, the name Melanie was introduced to Western Europe through the Latin translation of Greek texts. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Saint Melania the Younger (383-439 CE), a Roman Christian saint who renounced her wealth and lived a life of asceticism.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Mellanie or variations of the name. These include:
1. Melania the Elder (c. 325-410 CE), a Roman Christian saint and benefactor who founded several monasteries in the Holy Land.
2. Melanie Wilkes, a character in the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, published in 1936.
3. Melanie Klein (1882-1960), an influential Austrian-British psychoanalyst who developed the theory of object relations.
4. Melanie Safka (born 1947), an American singer-songwriter known professionally as Melanie, best known for her hit songs "Brand New Key" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)."
5. Melanie Mayron (born 1952), an American actress known for her roles in the films "Girlfriends" and "Thirtysomething."
While the name Mellanie is not as common as its more traditional spelling, it has a rich history and cultural significance that spans centuries and crosses multiple regions and languages.
People
Mellanie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mellanie 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
Mellanie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mellanie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,013 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mellanie 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 338,356 US residents.
Is Mellanie a common name?
We classify Mellanie 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, 1,112 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mellanie most popular?
The single biggest year for Mellanie was 2003, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mellanie is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mellanie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mellanie 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.