Mel
#6,838 for girls in 2025, 16 births · #7,194 for boys in 2025, 11 births
Given to boys 87.9% of the time
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 1958 · 120 births
- Debut · boys
- 5 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 3,693since 1902
Mel over time
girlsboys
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #6,838 | 16 | #7,194 | 11 |
| 2024 | #6,642 | 17 | #8,312 | 9 |
| 2023 | #6,922 | 16 | #7,738 | 10 |
| 2022 | #6,984 | 16 | #8,300 | 9 |
| 2021 | #9,562 | 10 | #8,166 | 9 |
| 2020 | #7,212 | 15 | #9,554 | 7 |
| 2019 | #6,414 | 18 | #9,756 | 7 |
| 2018 | #15,682 | 5 | #7,617 | 10 |
| 2017 | — | #10,775 | 6 | |
| 2016 | #9,411 | 11 | #6,726 | 12 |
| 2015 | #11,835 | 8 | — | |
| 2014 | #16,513 | 5 | #10,717 | 6 |
| 2013 | #13,150 | 7 | #9,655 | 7 |
| 2012 | #14,962 | 6 | #12,274 | 5 |
| 2011 | — | #7,502 | 10 | |
| 2010 | #16,992 | 5 | #7,087 | 11 |
| 2009 | #17,294 | 5 | #9,864 | 7 |
| 2008 | #12,579 | 8 | #6,393 | 13 |
| 2007 | #10,818 | 10 | #5,901 | 14 |
| 2006 | #9,286 | 12 | #4,865 | 18 |
| 2005 | #7,891 | 14 | #6,634 | 11 |
| 2004 | #4,492 | 30 | #5,007 | 16 |
| 2003 | #6,299 | 18 | #3,838 | 22 |
| 2002 | #5,444 | 21 | #5,725 | 12 |
| 2001 | — | #5,667 | 12 | |
| 2000 | — | #5,588 | 12 | |
| 1999 | — | #4,162 | 17 | |
| 1998 | — | #5,466 | 11 | |
| 1997 | — | #4,960 | 12 | |
| 1996 | — | #3,293 | 21 | |
| 1995 | — | #4,280 | 14 | |
| 1994 | — | #4,803 | 12 | |
| 1993 | — | #4,447 | 13 | |
| 1992 | — | #4,564 | 12 | |
| 1991 | — | #4,231 | 13 | |
| 1990 | — | #3,607 | 16 | |
| 1989 | — | #3,325 | 17 | |
| 1988 | — | #3,705 | 13 | |
| 1987 | — | #3,521 | 13 | |
| 1986 | — | #4,457 | 9 | |
| 1985 | — | #4,052 | 10 | |
| 1984 | — | #3,701 | 11 | |
| 1983 | — | #3,630 | 11 | |
| 1982 | — | #2,518 | 19 | |
| 1981 | — | #3,030 | 14 | |
| 1980 | — | #2,058 | 26 | |
| 1979 | — | #2,777 | 16 | |
| 1978 | — | #2,134 | 22 | |
| 1977 | — | #2,556 | 17 | |
| 1976 | #9,284 | 5 | #1,677 | 31 |
| 1975 | — | #1,593 | 32 | |
| 1974 | — | #1,747 | 27 | |
| 1973 | — | #2,036 | 20 | |
| 1972 | — | #1,441 | 35 | |
| 1971 | — | #1,597 | 30 | |
| 1970 | — | #1,396 | 36 | |
| 1969 | — | #1,136 | 47 | |
| 1968 | — | #1,282 | 35 | |
| 1967 | — | #1,018 | 51 | |
| 1966 | — | #916 | 63 | |
| 1965 | #5,817 | 6 | #920 | 65 |
| 1964 | #4,636 | 9 | #839 | 82 |
| 1963 | #5,296 | 7 | #936 | 64 |
| 1962 | #3,033 | 17 | #850 | 79 |
| 1961 | #3,608 | 13 | #762 | 102 |
| 1960 | #2,989 | 17 | #769 | 98 |
| 1959 | #3,619 | 12 | #791 | 94 |
| 1958 | #3,543 | 12 | #688 | 120 |
| 1957 | #2,823 | 17 | #789 | 90 |
| 1956 | #3,493 | 12 | #762 | 93 |
| 1955 | #4,376 | 8 | #893 | 69 |
| 1954 | #5,753 | 5 | #778 | 84 |
| 1953 | #3,269 | 12 | #738 | 94 |
| 1952 | #3,796 | 9 | #794 | 78 |
| 1951 | #5,414 | 5 | #949 | 54 |
| 1950 | — | #830 | 67 | |
| 1949 | #4,235 | 7 | #817 | 70 |
| 1948 | — | #802 | 71 | |
| 1947 | #4,764 | 6 | #698 | 98 |
| 1946 | — | #700 | 86 | |
| 1945 | — | #749 | 67 | |
| 1944 | #4,054 | 6 | #814 | 59 |
| 1943 | #4,691 | 5 | #773 | 71 |
| 1942 | — | #718 | 80 | |
| 1941 | — | #798 | 62 | |
| 1940 | — | #751 | 67 | |
| 1939 | #3,429 | 7 | #846 | 52 |
| 1938 | #4,342 | 5 | #784 | 61 |
| 1937 | — | #957 | 43 | |
| 1936 | — | #940 | 43 | |
| 1935 | — | #1,326 | 26 | |
| 1934 | #4,286 | 5 | #1,024 | 40 |
| 1933 | #4,218 | 5 | #1,540 | 20 |
| 1932 | — | #1,216 | 31 | |
| 1931 | — | #1,538 | 21 | |
| 1930 | — | #1,753 | 18 | |
| 1929 | — | #2,452 | 11 | |
| 1928 | — | #2,162 | 14 | |
| 1927 | #4,286 | 6 | #1,561 | 24 |
| 1926 | — | #1,466 | 25 | |
| 1925 | — | #2,435 | 12 | |
| 1924 | #5,061 | 5 | #2,473 | 12 |
| 1923 | — | #2,331 | 13 | |
| 1922 | — | #1,827 | 19 | |
| 1921 | — | #3,517 | 7 | |
| 1920 | — | #2,231 | 14 | |
| 1919 | #4,251 | 6 | #2,152 | 14 |
| 1918 | — | #1,998 | 16 | |
| 1917 | — | #2,956 | 8 | |
| 1916 | #3,919 | 6 | #2,152 | 13 |
| 1915 | — | #2,070 | 13 | |
| 1914 | — | #2,101 | 10 | |
| 1913 | — | #2,821 | 5 | |
| 1912 | — | #2,544 | 5 | |
| 1911 | — | #1,117 | 10 | |
| 1910 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | — | — | ||
| 1907 | — | — | ||
| 1906 | — | — | ||
| 1905 | — | — | ||
| 1904 | — | #966 | 7 | |
| 1903 | — | #1,130 | 5 | |
| 1902 | — | #1,137 | 5 | |
| 1901 | — | — | ||
| 1900 | — | — | ||
| 1899 | — | — | ||
| 1898 | — | — | ||
| 1897 | — | — | ||
| 1896 | — | — | ||
| 1895 | — | — | ||
| 1894 | — | — | ||
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | — | — | ||
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | — | — | ||
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | — | — | ||
| 1887 | — | — | ||
| 1886 | — | — | ||
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1902
The first year at least five boys were named Mel! It came in at #1,137, and was given to 5 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1905–1910, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.
See more about Mel
Momentum · boys
Rising
- 1,118 spots since 2024 (#8,312 → #7,194)
- 2,360 spots since 2020 (#9,554 → #7,194)
- Biggest jump: 386 spots in 1936 (#1,326 → #940)
- Biggest drop: 119 spots in 1951 (#830 → #949)
Rise & fade · boys
56 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1902
- Peaked 1958 at #688 (120 births)
- Births halved by 1967, 9 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 32 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 32 yrs · run 1936–1966
Share of babies · boys
1 in 17,265
- Highest: 1 in 17,265 boys born in 1942 were named Mel (0.01%)
- Latest: 1 in 155,280 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
- Its best rank, #688 in 1958, was only 1 in 17,687 (0.01%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
- 22.8% of all boys named Mel (843) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2019
- Mostly boys until 2018, mostly girls since
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 17 | #966 (1904) | #1,078 |
| 1910s | 94 | #1,117 (1911) | #2,212 |
| 1920s | 151 | #1,466 (1926) | #2,246 |
| 1930s | 355 | #784 (1938) | #1,192 |
| 1940s | 731 | #698 (1947) | #762 |
| 1950s | 843 | #688 (1958) | #801 |
| 1960s | 686 | #762 (1961) | #943 |
| 1970s | 266 | #1,396 (1970) | #1,895 |
| 1980s | 143 | #2,058 (1980) | #3,400 |
| 1990s | 141 | #3,293 (1996) | #4,381 |
| 2000s | 137 | #3,838 (2003) | #5,948 |
| 2010s | 74 | #6,726 (2016) | #9,123 |
| 2020s | 55 | #7,194 (2025) | #8,211 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Mel in 1942
boys
#718
80 births · 1 in 17,265 boys
Top boys' names in 1942
More about 1942
boys
1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 17,265 of them was named Mel, which outranked 82.2% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).