| Melanie | Zoe | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | black, dark | Life |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEL-uh-nee | ZOH-ee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1972 (6,296) | 2012 (6,466) |
| In 2025 | 2,074 | 5,646 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Melanie | Zoe |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 13,337 | 31,129 |
| 2010s | 33,086 | 58,094 |
| 2000s | 35,228 | 48,755 |
| 1990s | 29,352 | 16,791 |
| 1980s | 35,952 | 1,999 |
| 1970s | 53,323 | 1,120 |
| 1960s | 36,751 | 952 |
| 1950s | 19,849 | 1,109 |
| 1940s | 5,029 | 569 |
| 1930s | 242 | 735 |
| 1920s | 183 | 694 |
| 1910s | 145 | 466 |
| 1900s | 79 | 239 |
| 1890s | 63 | 323 |
| 1880s | 21 | 281 |
From Greek 'melas / melania' meaning 'black, dark'. Borne by early Christian saints Melania the Elder and Melania the Younger.
From Greek 'zoe' (ζωή) meaning 'life'. Adopted by Hellenistic Jews and early Christians as a translation of Eve ('life').
Zoe is more popular than Melanie today: about 5,646 US babies were given the name Zoe in 2025, compared with 2,074 named Melanie.
Melanie means black, dark (greek origin), while Zoe means Life (greek origin).
In US records, Melanie first appears in 1886 and Zoe in 1880, so Zoe has the longer recorded history.