Female name
Melanie
2,488 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 5.
Origin
From French Mélanie, from Latin Melania, the name of two Roman fifth century saints, from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black, dark”).From Wiktionary, entry “Melanie”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Melanie?
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 166 births. 2,488 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s and 2000s. It is still given: 214 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1972: 6,320 births. 263,254 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1960s to the 2020s. At its peak, it ranked 42nd among girls' names in 1972. It really came into use around 1912. It is still given: 10,809 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1975: 52 births. 1,235 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. It really came into use around 1971. It is still given: 38 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 133,925 | 1900–2025 | 7th in 1994 |
| Austria | 17,390 | 1984–2025 | 3rd in 1991 |
| Switzerland | 17,192* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 13,154 | 1980–2025 | 2nd in 1980 |
| Argentina | 5,929 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Berlin | 111 | 2012–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
5
freedom, change, movement
4 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 9 + 5 = 32 → 5
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
5 + 1 + 9 + 5 = 20 → 2
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
3
expression, creativity, sociability
4 + 3 + 5 = 12 → 3
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 6, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.