Melanie vs Melissa

Side-by-side comparison of Melanie and Melissa — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Melanie

Girl name · Rank #122

Full profile →
Name B

Melissa

Girl name · Rank #376

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Melanie Melissa
Current Rank #122 #376
Total Births (all years) 260,544 759,386
Peak Year 1972 1979
Peak Year Births 6,295 34,050
Peak Decade 1970ss 1970ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1886 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Melanie Melissa
1880ss 21 427
1890ss 63 399
1900ss 79 323
1910ss 145 516
1920ss 183 526
1930ss 242 666
1940ss 5,030 2,838
1950ss 19,852 22,293
1960ss 36,750 119,202
1970ss 53,320 253,268
1980ss 35,950 217,929
1990ss 29,353 89,989
2000ss 35,227 32,624
2010ss 33,079 14,272
2020ss 11,250 4,114

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Melanie Melissa
2014 3,699 1,509
2015 3,494 1,283
2016 3,490 1,236
2017 3,239 1,170
2018 2,850 1,117
2019 2,591 933
2020 2,527 887
2021 2,187 836
2022 2,172 823
2023 2,120 743
2024 2,244 825

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1886–2024.

← Compare different names