Girls' name · since 1886
Melanie
Since 1886, U.S. Social Security records show 262,640 babies named Melanie, peaking in 1972. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #155 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #142 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,640
- born since 1886
- 1970s
- peak decade
262,640 babies have been named Melanie since 1886, making it today's #142 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Melanie recorded 262,640 times among girls since 1886, holding rank #142 nationally today, ahead of 99.2% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #155 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #142 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 262,640 born since 1886
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melanie ranks #155 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #142 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 262,640 born since 1886, peaking in the 1970s.
- #155 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #142 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,640
- born since 1886
- 1970s
- peak decade
Melanie's 262,640 recorded births place it above 99.78% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Melanie compares
262,640 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Melanie's all-time total is 699x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melanie | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 262,640 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,296 | 21 | 19,840 |
Melanie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Melanie's SSA record in two at 1958 and the more recent half accounts for 92% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 8%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1893, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1972 peak of 6,296, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Melanie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (1972)
- 6,296
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Melanie popularity over time - boys
614 total births recorded since 1956 (Melanie as boys' name)
Melanie by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (53,323 births, 20% of the file).
1970s was Melanie's strongest decade.
53,323 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Melanie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 21
1880s
21 births
- 1890s 63
1890s
63 births
- 1900s 79
1900s
79 births
- 1910s 145
1910s
145 births
- 1920s 183
1920s
183 births
- 1930s 242
1930s
242 births
- 1940s 5,029
1940s
5,029 births
- 1950s 19,849
1950s
19,849 births
- 1960s
1960s
36,751 births
- 1970s
1970s
53,323 births
- 1980s
1980s
35,952 births
- 1990s
1990s
29,352 births
- 2000s
2000s
35,228 births
- 2010s
2010s
33,086 births
- 2020s 13,337
2020s
13,337 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 53,323 births (20% of all-time use).
How Melanie 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 Melanie's total volume
Melanie by state
Where Melanie concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 36,860 | 14.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 25,951 | 9.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 18,325 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 12,570 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 11,276 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 11,276 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 10,438 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 7,901 | 3.0% |
36,860 of 262,640 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Melanie appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melanie? ▼
Where does Melanie sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Melanie most popular? ▼
Where is Melanie most popular? ▼
How long has the name Melanie been used? ▼
What names are similar to Melanie? ▼
What to do with Melanie's data
- Melanie's decade-level peak was the 1970s (53,323 total births); usage has since declined to 13,337 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Melanies (36,860 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 Melanie
Nearby Names Like Melanie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melanie
Compare Melanie side by side: Melanie vs Melissa Melanie vs Melinda Melanie vs Melody
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melanie
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Melanie: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1972)
Similar record span (~139 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, 1886–2025 (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 Melanie 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.