Given name & surname
Melina
“as sweet as honey”
Melina is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “as sweet as honey.”
Original GreekΜελίνα
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “as sweet as honey.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In German usage, Melina is a short form of Melissa. In Finnish usage, Melina developed from Μελίνα.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1883. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Melina is a short form of Melissa. The history of Melissa gives this family its wider story. In Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Melissa is the benevolent witch who frees Rogero from Alcina. Separately, Melissa has also been used in Ireland as an English form of Maoilíosa; the two contexts should not be collapsed into one origin.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Melina through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19,926
- 0 boys · 19,926 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 681 babies
- 2025
- 434
- #660 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 434 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 660 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 681 in 2009. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (80). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,597 as a first name in 2020; 246 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Melina’s family of names
In German usage, Melina is a short form of Melissa. In Finnish usage, Melina developed from the Greek form Μελίνα. In German usage, Melina has a related form in Meline.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Melina has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
7 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Melina
- Melina KanakaredesAmerican actressborn 1967
- Melina PerezAmerican professional wrestlerborn 1979
- Melina MatsoukasAmerican music video, film, commercial and television directorborn 1981
- Melina MarchettaAustralian teen writerborn 1965
- Melina AbdullahAmerican academic and civic activist (born 1972)
- Melina LeónPuerto Rican musicianborn 1972
- Melina MatthewsSpanish actressborn 1986
- Melina RaiNepalese singerborn 1993
- Melina AslanidouGreek singerborn 1974
Characters named Melina: Iron Maiden (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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