| Melanie | Penelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | black, dark | Weaver (disputed) |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEL-uh-nee | peh-NEL-oh-pee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1972 (6,296) | 2019 (6,734) |
| In 2025 | 2,074 | 6,225 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Melanie | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 13,337 | 37,005 |
| 2010s | 33,086 | 47,614 |
| 2000s | 35,228 | 5,677 |
| 1990s | 29,352 | 795 |
| 1980s | 35,952 | 609 |
| 1970s | 53,323 | 1,750 |
| 1960s | 36,751 | 2,871 |
| 1950s | 19,849 | 4,758 |
| 1940s | 5,029 | 6,383 |
| 1930s | 242 | 1,109 |
| 1920s | 183 | 562 |
| 1910s | 145 | 248 |
| 1900s | 79 | 29 |
| 1890s | 63 | 36 |
| 1880s | 21 | 34 |
From Greek 'melas / melania' meaning 'black, dark'. Borne by early Christian saints Melania the Elder and Melania the Younger.
Borne by the faithful wife of Odysseus. The meaning is uncertain: one line derives it from 'pene' ('thread, weft') giving 'weaver', while another ties it to 'penelops', a type of duck or waterfowl. Both readings are considered folk etymologies by some classicists, so the sense is unsettled.
Penelope is more popular than Melanie today: about 6,225 US babies were given the name Penelope in 2025, compared with 2,074 named Melanie.
Melanie means black, dark (greek origin), while Penelope means Weaver (disputed) (greek origin).
In US records, Melanie first appears in 1886 and Penelope in 1880, so Penelope has the longer recorded history.