Total births
135,822
Girls' name · since 1880
Melinda
135,822 babies named Melinda in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2099
- among girls today
- 135,822
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Melinda currently ranks #2099 among girls' names in America, with 135,822 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Melinda recorded 135,822 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2099 nationally today, ahead of 88% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #2099 among girls today
- 135,822 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 88% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Melinda is currently the #2099 girls' name in America, more common than 88% of girls - 135,822 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #2099
- among girls today
- 135,822
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Melinda vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2099
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 88% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Melinda was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
4,225 babies were named Melinda in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Melinda compares
135,822 Top 2% higher than 98% of 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
Melinda's all-time total is 356x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melinda | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 135,822 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,225 | 48 | 19,840 |
Melinda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Melinda's full recorded timeline at 1953, 92% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 8% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1911, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1970 peak of 4,225 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Melinda at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1970
Current rank
#2,099
Active since
1880
Melinda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 4,225
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Melinda popularity over time - boys
337 total births recorded since 1954 (Melinda as boys' name)
Melinda by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Melinda's strongest decade.
36,438 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Melinda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 129
1880s
129 births
- 1890s 157
1890s
157 births
- 1900s 137
1900s
137 births
- 1910s 199
1910s
199 births
- 1920s 202
1920s
202 births
- 1930s 567
1930s
567 births
- 1940s 5,423
1940s
5,423 births
- 1950s
1950s
21,509 births
- 1960s
1960s
36,297 births
- 1970s
1970s
36,438 births
- 1980s
1980s
22,212 births
- 1990s 7,926
1990s
7,926 births
- 2000s 2,495
2000s
2,495 births
- 2010s 1,571
2010s
1,571 births
- 2020s 560
2020s
560 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 36,438 births (27% of all-time use).
How Melinda 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 Melinda's total volume
Melinda vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Melinda by state
Where Melinda concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 14,882 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 11,961 | 8.8% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 8,500 | 6.3% |
| #4 | New York | | 7,154 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 6,011 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 5,848 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 4,911 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 4,479 | 3.3% |
California share of Melinda's total US births 11.0%
Even split
14,882 of 135,822 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Melinda appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melinda? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 135,822 babies named Melinda. Today it holds rank #2099 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1970, with 4,225 births.
When was Melinda most popular? ▼
Melinda was most popular in the 1970s decade with 36,438 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Melinda most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Melinda are California (14,882 births), Texas (11,961 births), Ohio (8,500 births).
How long has the name Melinda been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Melinda since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Melinda? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melissa, Melanie, Melody, Melba, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Melinda's data
- Melinda's decade-level peak was the 1970s (36,438 total births); usage has since declined to 560 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Melindas (14,882 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Melinda
Nearby Names Like Melinda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melinda
Melissa Girl
#379 760,128 births
Melanie Girl
#122 262,640 births
Melody Girl
#91 114,914 births
Melba Girl
#11152 34,873 births
Melina Girl
#630 19,926 births
Compare Melinda side by side: Melinda vs Melissa Melinda vs Melanie Melinda vs Melody
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melinda
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Melinda: #2099 Girls' Name - 135,822 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/melinda. 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 Melinda 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.