Melanie
Girl name · #142 in 2025 · Well-known
How old is the name Melanie? In official American birth records, Melanie has been tracked continuously since 1886, giving it 139 years of documented American history.
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. Source: Official national birth records.
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?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Melanie is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Melanie is most common
Geography matters for names, and Melanie is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Melanie is most common in NM (2.6 per 1,000), MS (2.2 per 1,000), CA (2.2 per 1,000), AZ (2.2 per 1,000), TX (2 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.6 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Melanie is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
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
How old is the name Melanie?
In official American birth records, the name Melanie first appeared in 1886 (over 139 years ago), when 8 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
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. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.