Mel
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- MEL
- Origin
- Greek
- US rank, 2025
- #6,837 for girls
Mel is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 6,837th for girls in the US (16 babies).
What does Mel mean?
Greek: short form of Melanie, Melissa or Melody
Usually short for Melanie, from Greek melas 'black', or Melissa, Greek for 'honeybee'.
Is Mel a girl's or a boy's name?
Mel is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 16 girls and 11 boys in the US.
How popular is Mel in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2022, with 7 girls.
Mel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7 | #3,347 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 3 | #5,896 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 4 | #4,742 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 1 | #5,865 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 1 | #5,353 |
How popular is Mel in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,837among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 16about 1 in 100,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 16 girls in the US were named Mel, making it the 6,837th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 7,208th. Its busiest year was 2004, with 30 girls. It first appears in the records in 1916. 11 boys were also named Mel in 2025 (7,190th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Mel in the US since 1880 were born between 1957 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 20% of the babies named Mel in the US in 1927, and 40% in 2006.
Mel in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #6,837 |
| 2024 | 17 | #6,639 |
| 2023 | 16 | #6,917 |
| 2022 | 16 | #6,979 |
| 2021 | 10 | #9,557 |
| 2020 | 15 | #7,208 |
| 2019 | 18 | #6,410 |
| 2018 | 5 | #15,677 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 11 | #9,408 |
| 2015 | 8 | #11,830 |
| 2014 | 5 | #16,507 |
| 2013 | 7 | #13,145 |
| 2012 | 6 | #14,956 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 5 | #16,985 |
| 2009 | 5 | #17,288 |
| 2008 | 8 | #12,574 |
| 2007 | 10 | #10,814 |
| 2006 | 12 | #9,282 |
| 2005 | 14 | #7,886 |
| 2004 | 30 | #4,488 |
| 2003 | 18 | #6,294 |
| 2002 | 21 | #5,440 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 6 | #5,816 |
| 1964 | 9 | #4,635 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,295 |
| 1962 | 17 | #3,032 |
| 1961 | 13 | #3,607 |
| 1960 | 17 | #2,988 |
| 1959 | 12 | #3,618 |
| 1958 | 12 | #3,542 |
| 1957 | 17 | #2,822 |
| 1956 | 12 | #3,492 |
| 1955 | 8 | #4,375 |
| 1954 | 5 | #5,751 |
| 1953 | 12 | #3,268 |
| 1952 | 9 | #3,795 |
| 1951 | 5 | #5,413 |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 7 | #4,234 |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 6 | #4,762 |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 6 | #4,052 |
| 1943 | 5 | #4,690 |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 7 | #3,427 |
| 1938 | 5 | #4,340 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 5 | #4,284 |
| 1933 | 5 | #4,216 |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 6 | #4,284 |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 5 | #5,059 |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 6 | #4,249 |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 6 | #3,917 |
Names like Mel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Margot Maisie Mabel Phoebe Mila Penelope Thea Hazel Myla Lyra Sophia Maeve
Names related to Mel
More Greek names
Luca Theodore George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe Iris Lainey Elena Atlas
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mel, updated 20 October 2026.