What does Melina mean?
Melina is linked to the Greek for “honey.”
What does Thea mean?
Thea means “goddess” in Greek and is also a short form of Dorothea.
Melina vs Thea
Which is more popular?
Thea is more popular than Melina today: about 867 US babies were given the name Thea in 2025, compared with 434 named Melina.
| Melina | Thea | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Honey | Goddess |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | muh-LEE-nah | THEE-ah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1883 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2009 (681) | 2018 (1,209) |
| In 2025 | 434 | 867 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Melina
Thea
Source: US Social Security Administration.
Births by decade
| Decade | Melina | Thea |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,724 | 5,908 |
| 2010s | 4,946 | 6,408 |
| 2000s | 5,413 | 1,362 |
| 1990s | 3,089 | 952 |
| 1980s | 1,634 | 1,022 |
| 1970s | 1,104 | 1,008 |
| 1960s | 616 | 1,099 |
| 1950s | 118 | 1,027 |
| 1940s | 34 | 431 |
| 1930s | 16 | 207 |
| 1920s | 57 | 254 |
| 1910s | 82 | 157 |
| 1900s | 40 | 87 |
| 1890s | 36 | 105 |
| 1880s | 17 | 86 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Melina or Thea more popular?
Thea is more popular than Melina today: about 867 US babies were given the name Thea in 2025, compared with 434 named Melina.
What is the difference between Melina and Thea?
Melina means Honey (Greek origin), while Thea means Goddess (Greek origin).
Which name is older, Melina or Thea?
In US records, Melina first appears in 1883 and Thea in 1880, so Thea has the longer recorded history.