Melanie | Name Meaning & Origin

Saints Names, Roman Names, French Names, Greek Names

Dutch, English, French and German speaking countries

The French form of the Latin Melania, derived from the Greek 'melas', meaning "black, dark".
The French spelling is Mélanie.

The name was introduced to England in the Middles Ages, but became popular in the late 20th century. This can be seen as a result of the publication of Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone with the Wind' in 1936, and the film version staring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh in 1939. Melanie first appeared on the US top 1000 in 1938 at #981, in 1939 it was #939, and 1940 it had jumped dramatically to #484. It peaked in 1972, and is currently enjoying a slight resurgence.

This was the name of two related Roman saints of the 5th century. St Melanie the Elder was an early pilgrim to Jerusalem.