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The short answer
Melani is a feminine name in current use in the United States: it ranked #1056 for girls in the United States in 2025. Wiktionary gives Melani as the Spanish equivalent of Melanie, which Behind the Name traces to Greek melaina "black, dark". The full derivation, and how far the sources will carry it, is set out below.
Meaning and etymology
Wiktionary's Spanish entry gives Melani as a female given name equivalent to Melanie, and its German entry records Melani as a rare variant of Melanie. Behind the Name derives Melanie "From Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name Melania, derived from Greek μέλαινα (melaina) meaning 'black, dark'". Wiktionary also records an Italian surname Melani.
Editorial confidence: likely
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Greek | μέλαινα (melaina) | black, dark |
Competing or overlapping origins
- Wiktionary records an unrelated Italian surname Melani.
Popularity
Melani ranked #1056 for girls in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #1056 | ssa-2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Melani mean?
Wiktionary gives Melani as the Spanish equivalent of Melanie, which Behind the Name traces to Greek melaina "black, dark".
Is Melani a popular name?
Melani ranked #1056 for girls in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Melani a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Melani appears in the girls' list.
Sources
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity, gender usage.
- Wiktionary: Melani — Wiktionary, the free dictionary — supports Spanish and German given name equivalent to Melanie, Italian surname.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Melanie — supports meaning and root of Melanie.
- Behind the Name: Behind the Name search for Melani (no entry) — supports absence of an entry for this spelling.
