Unisex name · since 1902

Mel

3,693 babies named Mel in U.S. Social Security records since 1902, with the highest year being 1958. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,216 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,211 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,693
born since 1902
1950s
peak decade

Yes -- Mel is the #7211 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 3,693 recorded since 1902.

Mel has 3,693 recorded births among boys since 1902, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7211 as of the latest data, more common than 48% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1902 to 2025.

  • #2,216 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #7,211 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,693 born since 1902
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mel ranks #2,216 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,211 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,693 born since 1902, peaking in the 1950s.

#2,216 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#7,211 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,693
born since 1902
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%48.2%
Mel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Mel's 3,693 recorded births place it above 95.12% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

19 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

19 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Mel compares

3,693 Top 16% higher than 84% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Mel's all-time total is 10x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Mel Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,693 369 358,536
Peak-year births 120 34 22,252

Mel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Mel's SSA record in two at 1966 and the more recent half accounts for 27% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 73%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1902, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1958 peak of 120, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Mel popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1902–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1958)
120
Annual births at peak, across 124 years of records
050100150 190219231938195319681983199820132025 11

Mel popularity over time - girls

508 total births recorded since 1916 (Mel as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 508 births
010203040 19161939195319602002200920182025 16

Mel by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (843 births, 23% of the file).

1950s was Mel's strongest decade.

843 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.

Mel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 843 births (23% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Mel compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Mel's total volume

Mel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -26, 10.9%-146, 4.3%-140, 3.4%-131, 3.5%-50, 4.8%-70, 5.3%-115, 3.4%-142, 2.7%-145, 1.7%-140, 2.8%-115, 4.6%-52, 5.2%-111, 2.9%-43, 7.1%-113, 1.9%Mel-124, 3.2%Mel
Mel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Mel by state

Where Mel concentrates geographically, total births since 1902

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Mel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
452 12.2%
#2 New York
316 8.6%
#3 Illinois
162 4.4%
#4 Texas
90 2.4%
#5 Ohio
88 2.4%
#6 Michigan
37 1.0%
#7 Pennsylvania
13 0.4%
#8 Oklahoma
10 0.3%
California share of Mel's total US births 12.2%
Even split

452 of 3,693 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.

Mel appears in 19 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Mel? ▼
3,693 babies have been named Mel since 1902. All-time, it sits at #2,216 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #7,211 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1958 with 120 births.
Where does Mel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mel ranks #2,216 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,211 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Mel most popular? ▼
Mel was most popular in the 1950s decade with 843 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Mel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mel are California (452 births), New York (316 births), Illinois (162 births).
Is Mel a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Mel is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 3,693 births, and as a girl's name it has 508 births.
How long has the name Mel been used? ▼
Records for Mel go back to 1902, giving 124 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Mel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melvin, Melvyn, Melton, Melissa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Mel's data

  • Mel's decade-level peak was the 1950s (843 total births); usage has since declined to 55 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Mels (452 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Mel

Nearby Names Like Mel

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mel

Melvin Boy
#958 244,936 births
Melvyn Boy
4,360 births
Melton Boy
4,235 births
Melissa Boy
2,495 births
Melville Boy
2,269 births

Compare Mel side by side: Mel vs Melvin Mel vs Melvyn Mel vs Melton

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Mel

Les #7210
3,448 births · Peak 1961
Bolton #7212
244 births · Peak 2017
Macon #7209
2,105 births · Peak 2015
Carmel #7213
1,393 births · Peak 1918
Farris #7208
2,991 births · Peak 1923
Florentino #7214
3,105 births · Peak 1992
Ivo #7207
849 births · Peak 1922
Landis #7215
2,299 births · Peak 2006

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Mel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1902–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Mel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.