Melinda was coined in 18th-century England, combining the Greek meli, which means "honey", with the fashionable -inda ending of Belinda and Lucinda, so it is usually glossed as "sweet" or "honey". It was a staple of mid-century America and is the name of philanthropist Melinda French Gates. In the United States Melinda ranked number 696 in 2000, slipped out of the top 1000 soon after and stands at number 1985 in 2025.