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