Melany
Melany was the 399th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 779 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 86 places. More babies were named Melany in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Melanie) dark, black · Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #399 girls, up 244 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 779girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025779 babies
- Total since 1880
- 17,384babies recorded
What does the name Melany mean?
Melany 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
Melany popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2006.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #399 | 779 |
| 2020 | #643 | 450 |
| 2010 | #411 | 768 |
| 2000 | #1,062 | 196 |
| 1990 | #1,857 | 77 |
| 1980 | #1,564 | 75 |
| 1970 | #1,851 | 48 |
| 1960 | #1,413 | 61 |
| 1950 | #3,361 | 11 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Melany, counting every spelling?
Melany is a spelling of Melanie, a name family that ranked #101 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #399 for Melany 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 Melany?
779 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Melany (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Melany 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Melany.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Melany?
About 17,100 people born in the US named Melany are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 21. That makes Melany 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.
Melany by state
How common Melany was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (2.6×), Texas (1.8×), New Jersey (1.6×), California (1.5×), Florida (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Michigan, Missouri, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Melany: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Melany, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Melany
What does Melany mean?
Melany is a spelling of Melanie, which means “dark, black” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Melany?
Melany was the 399th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 779 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 86 places. More babies were named Melany in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Melany a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Melany in the US.
Where is Melany most popular?
In 2021–2025, Melany was most common in Maryland (0.92 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and New Jersey.