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Melanie

Name list

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
19 min read
Source updated September 1, 2026
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Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness", and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However, the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s because of the popularity of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and its 1939 film adaptation, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s, since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 1957 and, as Mélanie, it was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France in 2004.

01People named Melanie

Female

Male

02People named Mélanie

Mélanie is a feminine French given name. Notable people with the name include:

03Fictional characters

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Melanie”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

Melania

Melania is a feminine given name of Latin origin that derives from the Greek word melaina, the feminine form of the adjective melas (μέλας) meaning "black" or "dark". The name was borne by the two saints Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, and was the origin of the name Melanie.

Mélanie (album)

Mélanie is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released in Quebec, Canada on 22 August 1984 through TBS and distributed by Trans‑Canada Disques, the album brought together a team of producers, including René Angélil, Eddy Marnay, Rudi Pascal, Paul Baillargeon, and Marcel Lefebvre.