Girls' name · peaked in 1973
Melanie name popularity since 1925
262,861 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Melanie. Half of them were born in 1983 or earlier, so the typical Melanie is about 43 years old in 2026. Melanie peaked in 1973 as the #43 name for girls, and it ranked #142 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 262,861
- Named Melanie, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #142
- for girls in 2025 (2,074 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 262,247 girls · 614 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 1.77× its national share
Peak year is the year Melanie made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Melanie births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1972. Measured as a share of all babies, Melanie peaked in 1973.
- Fastest rise: Between 1944 and 1949, Melanie became 3× more common, from 1 in 4,320 baby girls to 1 in 1,430.
- Steepest fall: Between 1980 and 1985, its share of baby girls fell by 38%, from 1 in 343 to 1 in 549.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Melanie's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Melanie.
Decade by decade
Babies named Melanie in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 98 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 242 | 0 | #3,087 |
| 1940s | 5,029 | 0 | #386 |
| 1950s | 19,849 | 13 | #141 |
| 1960s | 36,751 | 70 | #122 |
| 1970s | 53,323 | 175 | #52 |
| 1980s | 35,952 | 153 | #88 |
| 1990s | 29,352 | 92 | #117 |
| 2000s | 35,228 | 94 | #92 |
| 2010s | 33,086 | 17 | #81 |
| 2020–25 | 13,337 | 0 | #142 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.6% of babies named Melanie from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Melanie is most popular
The index compares Melanie's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Melanie.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 1.77× | 1,663 |
| Utah | 1.66× | 3,738 |
| Hawaii | 1.38× | 1,139 |
| New Mexico | 1.33× | 1,934 |
| California | 1.32× | 36,865 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Melanie and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Melanie (this page) | 262,247 | 1973 |
| Melany | 17,379 | 2025 |
| Melani | 5,912 | 2020 |
| Melonie | 5,462 | 1973 |
| Melannie | 1,746 | 2002 |
| Melaney | 1,259 | 1972 |
| Melanee | 1,222 | 1970 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Melanie's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Melanie.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Melanie (1973).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data