| Eleanor | Melanie | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of uncertain origin, often “light” | black, dark |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EL-uh-ner | MEL-uh-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1886 |
| Peak year | 1920 (8,497) | 1972 (6,296) |
| In 2025 | 7,649 | 2,074 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eleanor | Melanie |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 41,966 | 13,337 |
| 2010s | 40,129 | 33,086 |
| 2000s | 11,187 | 35,228 |
| 1990s | 4,871 | 29,352 |
| 1980s | 2,789 | 35,952 |
| 1970s | 2,750 | 53,323 |
| 1960s | 5,938 | 36,751 |
| 1950s | 11,065 | 19,849 |
| 1940s | 23,761 | 5,029 |
| 1930s | 46,379 | 242 |
| 1920s | 74,760 | 183 |
| 1910s | 54,163 | 145 |
| 1900s | 10,030 | 79 |
| 1890s | 4,754 | 63 |
| 1880s | 2,136 | 21 |
A name of debated origin, long associated with the Greek for “light” or “bright.” Borne by medieval queens.
From Greek 'melas / melania' meaning 'black, dark'. Borne by early Christian saints Melania the Elder and Melania the Younger.
Eleanor is more popular than Melanie today: about 7,649 US babies were given the name Eleanor in 2025, compared with 2,074 named Melanie.
Eleanor means Of uncertain origin, often “light” (Greek origin), while Melanie means black, dark (greek origin).
In US records, Eleanor first appears in 1880 and Melanie in 1886, so Eleanor has the longer recorded history.