| Melina | Selene | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Honey | Moon |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | muh-LEE-nah | seh-LEE-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1883 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2009 (681) | 2025 (469) |
| In 2025 | 434 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Melina | Selene |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,724 | 2,455 |
| 2010s | 4,946 | 2,348 |
| 2000s | 5,413 | 1,709 |
| 1990s | 3,089 | 1,608 |
| 1980s | 1,634 | 481 |
| 1970s | 1,104 | 473 |
| 1960s | 616 | 359 |
| 1950s | 118 | 161 |
| 1940s | 34 | 79 |
| 1930s | 16 | 12 |
| 1920s | 57 | 23 |
| 1910s | 82 | 5 |
| 1900s | 40 | 0 |
| 1890s | 36 | 0 |
| 1880s | 17 | 0 |
Melina is linked to the Greek for “honey.”
Selene (Greek Selene) is the ancient Greek goddess who personified the moon; the word is related to 'selas' meaning light or brightness. A direct, literal moon name.
Melina is more popular than Selene today: about 434 US babies were given the name Melina in 2025, compared with 0 named Selene.
Melina means Honey (Greek origin), while Selene means Moon (greek origin).
In US records, Melina first appears in 1883 and Selene in 0, so Selene has the longer recorded history.