Melanie comes from the Greek melaina and means "black" or "dark", a name borne by two Roman saints of the fourth and fifth centuries. In America it was popularized by Melanie Wilkes, the gentle friend in Gone with the Wind, and later by the singer Melanie in the 1970s. Melanie ranked 114th in the United States in 2000, entered the top 100 in 2002, peaked at number 77 in 2012 and stands at number 142 in 2025.