Total births
85
Girls' name · since 2016
Melanin
Since 2016, U.S. Social Security records show 85 babies named Melanin, peaking in 2021. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #11995
- among girls today
- 85
- born since 2016
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 32%
- more common than other girls
85 babies have been named Melanin since 2016, making it today's #11995 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Melanin recorded 85 times among girls since 2016, holding rank #11995 nationally today, ahead of 32% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2016 to 2025.
- #11995 among girls today
- 85 born since 2016
- 2020s peak decade
- 32% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Melanin is currently the #11995 girls' name in America, more common than 32% of girls - 85 born since 2016, peaking in the 2020s.
- #11995
- among girls today
- 85
- born since 2016
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 32%
- more common than other girls
Melanin vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11995
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 32% of names given to girls today.
2020s
Peak decade
64% of everyone ever named Melanin was born in this single decade.
2021
Single peak year
15 babies were named Melanin in 2021 - its busiest year on record.
How Melanin compares
85 22th percentile among 17,726 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
Melanin's all-time total is 78% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melanin | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 85 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 15 | 48 | 19,840 |
Melanin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Melanin's SSA record in two at 2021 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2016, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2021 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Melanin at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2021
Current rank
#11,995
Active since
2016
Melanin popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2016–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 10 years of records
Melanin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Melanin's strongest decade.
54 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 64% of all-time use.
Melanin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2010s
2010s
31 births
- 2020s
2020s
54 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 54 births (64% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melanin? ▼
Since 2016, Social Security records show 85 babies named Melanin. Today it holds rank #11995 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2021, with 15 births.
When was Melanin most popular? ▼
Melanin was most popular in the 2020s decade with 54 total births. The single peak year was 2021.
How long has the name Melanin been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Melanin since 2016 -- 10 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Melanin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melissa, Melanie, Melinda, Melody, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
Keep exploring Melanin
Nearby Names Like Melanin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melanin
Melissa Girl
#379 760,128 births
Melanie Girl
#122 262,640 births
Melinda Girl
#2099 135,822 births
Melody Girl
#91 114,914 births
Melba Girl
#11152 34,873 births
Compare Melanin side by side: Melanin vs Melissa Melanin vs Melanie Melanin vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melanin
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 2016–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Melanin: #11995 Girls' Name - 85 Births, Peak 2021." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/melanin. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Melanin 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 June 2026.