Melanie
Girl name · #142 in 2025 · Uniqueness 51/100
Melanie ranks #142 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 2,074 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #81, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 868 girls born in 2025 was named Melanie.
Babies named Melanie per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 139-year story
Melanie first appears in the Social Security records in 1886, when 8 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1972, when 6,296 girls were named Melanie — good for #42 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Melanie against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Melanie in class?
Melanie scores 51 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Melanie is most common
Geography matters for names, and Melanie is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Melanies were CA (363), TX (324), FL (143), NY (101), IL (88). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Melanie
Statistically, parents drawn to Melanie tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Valerie, Maria, Michelle, Stephanie, and Andrea.
ValerieMariaMichelleStephanieAndreaMeredithKatherineMelissa
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Melanie | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,074 | #142 |
| 2024 | 2,253 | #122 |
| 2023 | 2,121 | #130 |
| 2022 | 2,173 | #130 |
| 2021 | 2,188 | #129 |
| 2020 | 2,528 | #105 |
| 2019 | 2,592 | #110 |
| 2018 | 2,850 | #105 |
| 2017 | 3,240 | #90 |
| 2016 | 3,490 | #82 |
| 2015 | 3,497 | #81 |
| 2014 | 3,701 | #81 |
| 2013 | 3,474 | #84 |
| 2012 | 3,467 | #77 |
| 2011 | 3,289 | #89 |
| 2010 | 3,486 | #82 |
| 2009 | 3,487 | #94 |
| 2008 | 3,714 | #85 |
| 2007 | 4,000 | #81 |
| 2006 | 4,034 | #85 |
| 2005 | 3,495 | #92 |
| 2004 | 3,583 | #89 |
| 2003 | 3,550 | #93 |
| 2002 | 3,484 | #94 |
| 2001 | 2,913 | #117 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Melanie a popular girl name?
Melanie ranked #142 among girls in 2025 with 2,074 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #81.
When was the name Melanie most popular?
Melanie peaked in 1972, when 6,296 American girls received the name (ranked #42 that year). Since 1972 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Melanie?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 868 newborn American girls was named Melanie. It scores 51/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.