Melinda

#1,981 for girls in 2025, 97 births · Last seen for boys in 1994 at #8,800
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1973 · 4,144 births
Debut · girls
14 births
In top 100 · girls
15 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
135,822
since 1880

Melinda over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201966peak #72, 1973girls
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,98197
2024#2,09991
2023#2,10791
2022#2,25383
2021#2,05793
2020#1,849105
2019#1,97198
2018#1,717120
2017#1,643131
2016#1,590139
2015#1,362174
2014#1,391165
2013#1,479150
2012#1,346174
2011#1,237193
2010#1,095227
2009#1,198209
2008#1,036253
2007#1,045251
2006#1,015252
2005#1,096217
2004#1,058219
2003#1,067209
2002#923242
2001#772306
2000#695337
1999#606401
1998#583414
1997#518462
1996#464540
1995#409633
1994#348765#8,8005
1993#283979
1992#2591,085
1991#2231,266
1990#2081,381
1989#1751,586#6,2297
1988#1481,879#4,45010
1987#1431,920#4,9688
1986#1471,959#5,3327
1985#1372,114#6,5235
1984#1292,228#4,2159
1983#1382,142#4,1419
1982#1232,409#3,69211
1981#1082,774#4,5098
1980#923,201#2,96515
1979#823,705#3,16813
1978#843,563#3,07013
1977#963,044#3,60610
1976#952,995#3,26411
1975#913,282#2,36118
1974#813,752#2,35817
1973#724,144#2,85712
1972#813,671#2,41815
1971#854,057#2,12619
1970#934,225#2,89111
1969#893,988#2,21715
1968#903,814#3,1078
1967#953,632#2,9858
1966#1023,382#2,62710
1965#1003,796#3,5376
1964#1133,703#3,2827
1963#1213,575#3,0448
1962#1183,854#3,0418
1961#1293,507#3,3567
1960#1433,046#4,0385
1959#1512,805#3,2907
1958#1422,937#3,9445
1957#1462,828
1956#1422,713
1955#1502,413#3,8865
1954#1761,954#3,8275
1953#1761,773
1952#1951,513
1951#2051,410
1950#2211,163
1949#2271,073
1948#265840
1947#299696
1946#336484
1945#374355
1944#347393
1943#308510
1942#329442
1941#374328
1940#383302
1939#484192
1938#659108
1937#76180
1936#99348
1935#1,11939
1934#1,69720
1933#1,65821
1932#1,75420
1931#1,87618
1930#1,74821
1929#1,89219
1928#2,95410
1927#1,82822
1926#2,16517
1925#1,64726
1924#1,77024
1923#1,78223
1922#1,83622
1921#2,28216
1920#1,75123
1919#1,60425
1918#1,75422
1917#1,84719
1916#1,53324
1915#1,47524
1914#1,30323
1913#1,40517
1912#1,05524
1911#2,4635
1910#1,11016
1909#1,05215
1908#1,08414
1907#99015
1906#1,15411
1905#1,6966
1904#85318
1903#1,07611
1902#1,13310
1901#79517
1900#83320
1899#79117
1898#75020
1897#82615
1896#87214
1895#65822
1894#81214
1893#82613
1892#63820
1891#9439
1890#75813
1889#62017
1888#54821
1887#8608
1886#50819
1885#69510
1884#8517
1883#56112
1882#59610
1881#50311
1880#44914
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Melinda was already there! It came in at #449, and was given to 14 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1911, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Melinda
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 118 spots since 2024 (#2,099#1,981)
  • 132 spots since 2020 (#1,849#1,981)
  • 619 spots since 2015 (#1,362#1,981)
  • Biggest jump: 312 spots in 1888 (#860#548)
  • Biggest drop: 843 spots in 1905 (#853#1,696)
Rise & fade · girls
93 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1973 at #72 (4,144 births)
  • Births halved by 1986, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 15 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 15 yrs · run 1967–1980
  • Top 1,000: 91 yrs · run 1936–2002
Share of babies · girls
1 in 352
  • Highest: 1 in 352 girls born in 1973 were named Melinda (0.28%)
  • Latest: 1 in 16,570 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1970s
  • 26.8% of all girls named Melinda (36,438) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s129#449 (1880)#619
1890s157#638 (1892)#787
1900s137#795 (1901)#1,067
1910s199#1,055 (1912)#1,555
1920s202#1,647 (1925)#1,991
1930s567#484 (1939)#1,275
1940s5,423#227 (1949)#324
1950s21,509#142 (1958)#170
1960s36,297#89 (1969)#110
1970s36,438#72 (1973)#86
1980s22,212#92 (1980)#134
1990s7,926#208 (1990)#390
2000s2,495#695 (2000)#991
2010s1,571#1,095 (2010)#1,483
2020s560#1,849 (2020)#2,058

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Melinda in 1966

girls
#102
3,382 births · 1 in 500 girls
boys
#2,627
10 births · 1 in 178,346 boys

Top girls' names in 1966

  1. #1Lisa56,918
  2. #2Kimberly32,232
  3. #3Mary28,890
  4. #4Michelle27,159
  5. #5Karen25,450
  6. #6Susan23,776
  7. #7Patricia20,112
  8. #8Tammy18,621
  9. #9Angela18,532
  10. #10Jennifer18,215
  11. #102Melinda3,382

Top boys' names in 1966

  1. #1Michael79,985
  2. #2David66,408
  3. #3James65,163
  4. #4John65,016
  5. #5Robert59,317
  6. #6William38,237
  7. #7Mark34,801
  8. #8Richard34,457
  9. #9Jeffrey30,200
  10. #10Thomas29,003
  11. #2,627Melinda10
More about 1966

girls

1,692,177 girls got a published name in 1966; 1 in 500 of them was named Melinda, which outranked 98.7% of the 7,624 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melinda
  1. #99Cathy3,421
  2. #100Joyce3,399
  3. #101Holly3,398
  4. #102Melinda3,382
  5. #103Victoria3,362
  6. #104Kristine3,314
  7. #105Deanna3,298
Biggest movers since 1965
Risers
  1. 6,121Tabatha#6,539#418
  2. 1,469Tabitha#1,993#524
  3. 1,325Joell#2,247#922
  4. 1,047Tatia#1,715#668
  5. 969Nichole#1,829#860
Fallers
  1. 398Barb#815#1,213
  2. 310Jewell#952#1,262
  3. 288Roxie#944#1,232
  4. 284Aretha#818#1,102
  5. 280Kecia#392#672

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,783,461 boys got a published name in 1966; 1 in 178,346 of them was named Melinda, which outranked 42.1% of the 4,540 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melinda
  1. #2,465Wellington11
  2. #2,465Winthrop11
  3. #2,465Wright11
  4. #2,627Melinda10
  5. #2,627Abdullah10
  6. #2,627Abran10
  7. #2,627Ames10
  8. #2,784Albie9
  9. #2,784Alcides9
  10. #2,784Alix9

Tied with 156 names at #2,627; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1965
Risers
  1. 1,207Jarrod#1,720#513
  2. 893Heath#1,254#361
  3. 467Illya#1,294#827
  4. 419Jarrett#1,294#875
  5. 399Reynold#1,360#961
Fallers
  1. 464Quint#986#1,450
  2. 303Dario#934#1,237
  3. 299Darran#1,000#1,299
  4. 281Artie#897#1,178
  5. 268Daryn#716#984

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1966