Melani
Melani was the 1056th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 234 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 990th with 258 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 698 places. More babies were named Melani in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Melanie) dark, black · Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #1,056 girls, down 66 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 234girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2020258 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,912babies recorded
What does the name Melani mean?
Melani is a spelling of Melanie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Melanie's meaning and origin.
Melanie comes from French Mélanie and Latin Melania, from Greek melania, 'blackness', from melas, 'black, dark'. DMNES lists two early saints named Melania, a grandmother and granddaughter of the 4th and 5th centuries, and records Melanie in early modern England. Wikipedia notes that the Normans brought the French form, but that it became common in English only after the character Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind (1936).
μελανία (Ancient Greek, “blackness”)μέλας (Ancient Greek, “black, dark”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Melania, Mélanie, Mel, Melany.
See also: Greek names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Melanie', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Melanie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Melanie', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Melani popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,056 | 234 |
| 2020 | #990 | 258 |
| 2010 | #1,619 | 134 |
| 2000 | #2,360 | 66 |
| 1990 | #3,052 | 37 |
| 1980 | #1,779 | 62 |
| 1970 | #2,429 | 31 |
| 1960 | #2,229 | 28 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Melani, counting every spelling?
Melani is a spelling of Melanie, a name family that ranked #101 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,056 for Melani on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,146 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanie | 2,074 | #142 | 10,809 |
| Melany | 779 | #399 | 2,827 |
| Melani | 234 | #1,056 | 1,164 |
| Melanny | 27 | #4,950 | 119 |
| Melannie | 18 | #6,473 | 113 |
| Melaney | — | — | 34 |
| Melanee | — | — | 33 |
| Melanni | — | — | 30 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Melani?
234 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Melani (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Melani born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 36 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Melani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Melani?
About 5,700 people born in the US named Melani are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 32. That makes Melani mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Melani by state
How common Melani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Illinois (1.8×), Georgia (1.8×), Florida (1.5×). In 23 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Melani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Melani, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Melani
What does Melani mean?
Melani is a spelling of Melanie, which means “dark, black” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Melani?
Melani was the 1056th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 234 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 990th with 258 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 698 places. More babies were named Melani in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Melani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Melani in the US.
Where is Melani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Melani was most common in Illinois (0.26 per 1,000 girls), followed by Georgia and Florida.