Melanie
Encyclopedia
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek
μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints: Melania the Elder
and her grand-daughter Melania the Younger
, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s due to the popularity of Margaret Mitchell
's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind
and its 1939 filmation
, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States
in 2007 and - as Mélanie - was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France
in 2004. In Australia Melanie is typically pronounced with the second syllable stressed.
Notable namesakes include:
Notable fictional namesakes include:
See also:
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints: Melania the Elder
Melania the Elder
Saint Melania the Elder or Maior was a Desert Mother who was an influential figure in the Christian ascetic movement that sprang up in the generation after the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire...
and her grand-daughter Melania the Younger
Melania the Younger
Saint Melania the Younger is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder.The Feast of Melania the Younger is held on December 31...
, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s due to the popularity of Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
and its 1939 filmation
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2007 and - as Mélanie - was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 2004. In Australia Melanie is typically pronounced with the second syllable stressed.
Notable namesakes include:
- Melanie BlattMelanie BlattMelanie Ruth Blatt is a singer, actress, television personality and was a member of the multi-million selling girl group All Saints. Following their split she launched a solo career.-Early life:...
(born 1975), British singer and member of All SaintsAll Saints (group)All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton... - Melanie BrownMelanie BrownMelanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...
(born 1975), British singer and member of the Spice GirlsSpice GirlsThe Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30... - Melanie ChisholmMelanie ChisholmMelanie Jayne Chisholm is an English singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman professionally known simply as Melanie C . She is best known as one of the five members of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed "Sporty Spice"...
(born 1974), British singer and member of the Spice Girls - Melanie ClewlowMelanie ClewlowMelanie Clewlow is an English field hockey international, who was a member of the England and Great Britain women's field hockey team during the late 1990s and 2000s.-References:**...
(born 1976), English field hockey defender - Melanie DoaneMelanie DoaneMelanie Doane is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter who has had seven Top 40 singles in Canada, including "Adam's Rib", "Goliath", "Still Desire You" and "Waiting For The Tide"....
(born 1967), Canadian singer - Melanie FionaMelanie FionaMelanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...
(born 1983), Canadian singer - Melanie GriffithMelanie GriffithMelanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
(born 1957), American actress - Melanie HahnemannMelanie HahnemannMarie Melanie d'Hervilly Gohier Hahnemann , was a French physician in homeopathy, married in 1835 to Samuel Hahnemann. She was the first female doctor in homeopathy....
(1800-1878), homeopath - Melanie JansMelanie JansMelanie Jans is a professional female squash player who represented Canada during her career. She reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 25 in March 1999 after having joined the Women's International Squash Players Association in 1991.-References:*...
(born 1973), Canadian squash player - Melanie JohnsonMelanie JohnsonMelanie Jane Johnson is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Johnson attended the Independent Clifton High School in Clifton, Bristol. Leaving Bristol for London, Johnson studied at University College London, gaining a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Greek...
(born 1955), British politician - Melanie KlaffnerMelanie KlaffnerMelanie Klaffner is an Austrian tennis player. As of 1 March 2010, she is ranked World No. 234 in singles and No. 197 in doubles. She is currently coached by Geovani Cardona. Klaffner has enjoyed success on the ITF Circuit, winning two singles and eight doubles titles, and has also been a member...
(born 1990), Austrian tennis player - Melanie KleinMelanie KleinMelanie Reizes Klein was an Austrian-born British psychoanalyst who devised novel therapeutic techniques for children that had an impact on child psychology and contemporary psychoanalysis...
(1882-1960), Austrian-born British psychoanalist - Melanie LambertMelanie Lambert and Fred PalascakMelanie Lambert and Fred Palascak are a husband-and-wife pair ice skating team who began skating together in 1994. During their competitive years they were two-time United States Eastern Sectional champions and had two top-10 finishes at the national championships...
(born 1974), American professional adagio and pair skater. - Melanie LoftonMelanie LoftonMelanie Lofton is an American television reporter and news anchor. She has worked for WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Virginia since July 2006. Shortly after being hired as the station's Weekend anchor, she was promoted to produce and co-anchor WHSV news at five.Lofton began her career as a reporter for...
(born 1980), American journalist - Melanie LynskeyMelanie LynskeyMelanie Jayne Lynskey is a New Zealand actress best known for playing Charlie Harper's neighbor/stalker Rose on Two and a Half Men, and a range of characters in films such as Win Win, Up in the Air, The Informant!, Away We Go, Flags of Our Fathers, Shattered Glass, Sweet Home Alabama, Ever After...
(born 1977), New Zealand actress - Melanie MartinezMelanie MartinezMelanie Martinez is a television and stage actress. She is most famous for playing Melanie, host of the Good Night Show, on PBS KIDS Sprout from 2005 to 2006.In 1994, she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts....
(born 1972), American television and stage actress - Melanie MayronMelanie MayronMelanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for portraying the role of photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama Thirtysomething.-Biography:...
(born 1952), American actress - Melanie MerkoskyMelanie MerkoskyMelanie Merkosky is an Canadian actress and Video Blogger. She is best known for her work portraying the main character of Jennie in the Internet series lonelygirl15.-Career:...
(born 1986), Canadian actress - Melanie OudinMelanie OudinMelanie Oudin is an American tennis player and former World Junior No. 2. Her career high rank is World No. 31, which she achieved on April 19, 2010...
(born 1991), American tennis player - Melanie PhillipsMelanie PhillipsMelanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She began her career on the left of the political spectrum, writing for such publications as The Guardian and New Statesman. In the 1990s she moved to the right, and she now writes for the Daily Mail newspaper, covering political and social...
(born 1951), British journalist - Melanie SafkaMelanie SafkaMelanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk is an American singer-songwriter. Known professionally as simply Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lay Down ".-Early career:...
(born 1947), American songwriter usually known simply as Melanie - Melanie SouthMelanie SouthMelanie Jayne South is an English tennis player. She is currently the British number 7 and ranked 310 in the world...
(born 1986), British tennis player - Melanie ThorntonMelanie ThorntonMelanie Janene Thornton was an American pop singer who found fame in Germany and fronted the Eurodance group La Bouche, who found success with the singles "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams" in the mid-1990s. She forged a moderately successful solo career in Germany before her death...
(1967–2001), American pop singer
Notable fictional namesakes include:
- Melanie Marcus, from Queer as Folk
- Melanie Hamilton, from Gone with the WindGone with the WindThe slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
- Melanie Stryder, a character in the novel The HostThe Host (novel)The Host is a science fiction/romance novel by Stephenie Meyer. The novel introduces an alien race, called Souls, which takes over the Earth and its inhabitants. The book describes one Soul's predicament when the mind of its human host refuses to cooperate with her takeover. The Host was released...
- Melanie Isaacs, from Disgrace
- Melanie Barnett, played by actress Tia MowryTia MowryTia Dashon Mowry-Hardrict is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tia Landry on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
on the CWThe CW Television NetworkThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
/BETBlack Entertainment TelevisionBlack Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
comedy-drama series, The Game - Melanie Layton Kiriakis, a minor character on the American soap opera Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
See also:
- Melania
- MélanieMélanieMélanie is a French feminine given name. It may refer to:People* Mélanie Bernier, a French actress* Mélanie Bonis* Mélanie Calvat* Mélanie Cohl* Mélanie Doutey* Mélanie Laurent, a French actress and director* Mélanie Tour* Mélanie Turgeon...