Girls' name · since 1905
Mela
1,015 babies named Mela in U.S. Social Security records since 1905, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #7,441 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,997 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,015
- born since 1905
- 2010s
- peak decade
Mela currently ranks #4997 among girls' names in America, with 1,015 babies recorded since 1905.
Mela has 1,015 recorded births among girls since 1905, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4997 as of the latest data, more common than 71% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1905 to 2025.
- #7,441 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,997 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,015 born since 1905
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mela ranks #7,441 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,997 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,015 born since 1905, peaking in the 2010s.
- #7,441 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,997 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,015
- born since 1905
- 2010s
- peak decade
Mela's 1,015 recorded births place it above 89.71% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New Mexico.
How Mela compares
1,015 Top 32% higher than 68% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Mela's all-time total is 170% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,015 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 55 | 21 | 19,840 |
Mela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mela's full recorded timeline at 1966, 71% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 29% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1905, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2019 peak of 55 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1905–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 55
- Annual births at peak, across 121 years of records
Mela by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (338 births, 33% of the file).
2010s was Mela's strongest decade.
338 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Mela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 42
1910s
42 births
- 1920s 89
1920s
89 births
- 1930s 48
1930s
48 births
- 1940s 31
1940s
31 births
- 1950s 64
1950s
64 births
- 1960s 22
1960s
22 births
- 1970s 28
1970s
28 births
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s 19
1990s
19 births
- 2000s 122
2000s
122 births
- 2010s
2010s
338 births
- 2020s
2020s
190 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 338 births (33% of all-time use).
How Mela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Mela's total volume
Mela by state
Where Mela concentrates geographically, total births since 1905
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New Mexico | | 121 | 11.9% |
| #2 | California | | 21 | 2.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 11 | 1.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 10 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 7 | 0.7% |
| #6 | Texas | | 5 | 0.5% |
121 of 1,015 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mela? ▼
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What to do with Mela's data
- Mela's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (338 total births) through the 2020s (190) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New Mexico records the most Melas (121 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New Mexico names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mela
Nearby Names Like Mela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mela
Compare Mela side by side: Mela vs Melissa Mela vs Melanie Mela vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Mela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~120 yrs)
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, 1905–2025 (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 Mela 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.