Melissa vs Melanie

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

Name A

Melissa

Girl name · Rank #376

Full profile →
Name B

Melanie

Girl name · Rank #122

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

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

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, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names