| Melina | Calliope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Honey | Beautiful voice |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | muh-LEE-nah | kuh-LY-uh-pee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1883 | 1917 |
| Peak year | 2009 (681) | 2025 (682) |
| In 2025 | 434 | 682 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Melina | Calliope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,724 | 3,336 |
| 2010s | 4,946 | 2,339 |
| 2000s | 5,413 | 287 |
| 1990s | 3,089 | 55 |
| 1980s | 1,634 | 11 |
| 1970s | 1,104 | 5 |
| 1960s | 616 | 0 |
| 1950s | 118 | 10 |
| 1940s | 34 | 0 |
| 1930s | 16 | 5 |
| 1920s | 57 | 43 |
| 1910s | 82 | 7 |
| 1900s | 40 | 0 |
| 1890s | 36 | 0 |
| 1880s | 17 | 0 |
Melina is linked to the Greek for “honey.”
From Greek Kalliopē, from kallos 'beauty' + ops 'voice', literally 'beautiful-voiced'. The name of the Muse of epic poetry; the 'beauty' root (kallos) is explicit.
Calliope is more popular than Melina today: about 682 US babies were given the name Calliope in 2025, compared with 434 named Melina.
Melina means Honey (Greek origin), while Calliope means Beautiful voice (greek origin).
In US records, Melina first appears in 1883 and Calliope in 1917, so Melina has the longer recorded history.