Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2009

Melina

Meaning méli Gender Girl Rank 2025 #660 Trend → Stable

Melina is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the word "méli", which means "honey".

Rank 2025
#660
among girls · ↓29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
434
named Melina · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,703
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2009
681 babies
All-time total
19,926
#1,073 all-time among girls
First recorded
1883
in Social Security records

Melina popularity over time

19,926 babies have been named Melina since 1883, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2009Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s 17 2 – #896
1890s 36 4 +112% #1,313
1900s 40 4 +11% #1,322
1910s 82 8 +105% #2,067
1920s 57 6 -30% #2,825
1930s 16 2 -72% #4,388
1940s 34 3 +112% #2,727
1950s 118 12 +247% #2,775
1960s 616 62 +422% #992
1970s 1,104 110 +79% #895
1980s 1,634 163 +48% #805
1990s 3,089 309 +89% #583
2000s 5,413 541 +75% #456
2010s 4,946 495 -9% #504
2020s (to 2025) 2,724 454 -8% #631

Where Melina is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 433 0.27 outside top 500
2027 433 0.27 outside top 500
2028 432 0.27 outside top 500
2029 432 0.27 outside top 500
2030 432 0.27 outside top 500

Where Melina is most popular

Girls named Melina per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.281 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, Connecticut, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Melina born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 28 0.603 +115%
Connecticut 35 0.602 +114%
Arizona 81 0.577 +106%
Massachusetts 69 0.571 +103%
California 430 0.512 +82%
New Jersey 92 0.510 +81%
Illinois 104 0.454 +62%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 +50%
Pennsylvania 98 0.414 +48%
New York 151 0.381 +36%
Florida 148 0.346 +23%
Texas 255 0.317 +13%
Iowa 18 0.308 +10%
Virginia 51 0.299 +7%
Indiana 41 0.292 ≈ national
Wisconsin 30 0.291 ≈ national
Colorado 32 0.287 ≈ national
Minnesota 30 0.278 ≈ national
Maryland 26 0.245 -13%
Michigan 44 0.242 -14%
Ohio 52 0.219 -22%
North Carolina 49 0.215 -23%
New Mexico 5 0.206 -27%
Georgia 44 0.194 -31%
Oregon 12 0.184 -34%
Missouri 22 0.183 -35%
Tennessee 28 0.177 -37%
Washington 25 0.173 -38%
Oklahoma 12 0.163 -42%
Utah 9 0.108 -62%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -66%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -79%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -80%
Alabama 5 0.053 -81%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Melina

Melina is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #660 in 2025 with 434 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1883, 19,926 American babies have been named Melina. Its peak came in 2009, when 681 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Melina stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Melina?

The median living Melina is about 19 years old; half are between 10 and 30. An estimated 19 thousand people named Melina are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Melina year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 434 #660
2024 469 #631
2023 448 #656
2022 460 #641
2021 468 #633
2020 445 #648
2019 486 #619
2018 471 #635
2017 486 #618
2016 490 #614
2015 502 #594
2014 496 #596
2013 482 #590
2012 440 #646
2011 500 #579
2010 593 #504
2009 681 #456
2008 598 #519
2007 674 #478
2006 536 #549
2005 511 #563
2004 434 #628
2003 441 #609
2002 489 #555
2001 569 #490
2000 480 #543
1995 328 #655
1990 238 #824
1985 182 #883
1980 184 #849
1975 101 #1,151
1970 75 #1,400
1965 72 #1,270
1960 20 #2,788
1955 13 #3,323
1950 10 #3,595
1945 – –
1940 5 #4,823
1935 – –
1930 6 #4,388
1925 5 #5,519
1920 6 #4,768
1915 12 #2,491
1910 7 #2,067
1905 – –
1900 5 #2,120
1895 6 #1,534
1890 – –
1885 7 #896
1880 – –

Famous people named Melina

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Melina Kanakaredes Melina Kanakaredes American actress (born 1967) Contemporary
  2. 2 Melina Perez Melina Perez American professional wrestler (born 1979) Contemporary
  3. 3 Melina Mercouri Melina Mercouri Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician (1920–1994) Contemporary
  4. 4 Melina Matsoukas American Director b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Melina, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Melina?

The median living Melina is about 19 years old. Half of all living Melinas are between 10 and 30 years old.

How many people named Melina are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Melina are alive in the United States, based on 19,926 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Melina mean?

Melina is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the word "méli", which means "honey".

How popular is the name Melina in 2025?

Melina ranked #660 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 434 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Melina?

19,926 babies have been named Melina in the United States since 1883, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Melina most popular?

Melina peaked in 2009, when 681 newborns received the name.

Is Melina a boy or girl name?

Melina is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Melina rising or falling?

Melina has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Melina become more popular?

Melina looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 432 girls named Melina in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Melina?

Well-known people named Melina include Melina Kanakaredes (actor), Melina Perez (wrestler), Melina Mercouri (actor).

Names like Melina

Names that sound and feel close to Melina: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Melina with similar names → More names starting with M →