Melayna
Feminine
Melayna is a modern three-syllable name, muh-LAY-nuh, that ends like Alayna and begins like Melanie and Melina. Its letters stand one away from melaina, the Ancient Greek word for 'dark', the same word Melanie grew from.
How old is the name Melayna?
Melayna first appears in US birth records in 1991 — 34 years ago. The typical Melayna alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 500 people named Melayna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Melayna most popular?
Melayna peaked in 2006, reaching #3734 nationally. See the whole 2006 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Melayna
Change the y of Melayna to an i and it becomes a word of Ancient Greek: melaina, the feminine form of melas, 'dark'. The name did not come from a Greek dictionary; it sits among the modern -ayna names, beside Alayna, Melina and Melanie. But the letters line up, and a name heard as muh-LAY-nuh carries, one letter off, the old word that Melanie grew from, with a long, level middle and an open end.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Melayna has no documented meaning of its own. It stands one letter from the Greek melaina, 'dark', the feminine of melas, and close in sound to Melina, a Greek name usually tied to meli, 'honey'. It also shares its ending with Alayna and Elena. The record does not say which of these a family had in mind.
Pronouncing Melayna
muh-LAY-nuh
Stress on the middle syllable, as in Alayna.
Nicknames for Melayna
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1991
- Most girls named
- 200641 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3734reached in 2006
- Change vs 2023
- −25.0%6 in 2024, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Melaynas among us
people named Melayna are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Melayna sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Easy to say on sight, with the stress where English readers expect it.
- Close to familiar names, Melanie, Melina and Alayna, without being any of them.
- Takes Mel as a ready short form.
- People will guess Melina, Melena or Malayna when writing it; the spelling needs saying.
- It has no documented meaning of its own, and the Greek word it resembles is a coincidence rather than a source.
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Melayna
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Melaynas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Melayna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Melayna in 2025?
- Melayna is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Melayna with classmates?
- Melayna will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Melayna? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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