Fun Facts About the Name Mela
- More than 1 thousand babies named Mela: U.S. records list 1,014 babies given the name Mela from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Mela Mean?
Mela has two separate sources, and they give different meanings. In Italian, mela is the ordinary word for "apple," from Latin mālum (apple), which is related to Greek mēlon (apple, fruit). As a girl's name in Italy, Mela is understood in that literal sense, and it is also used there as a short form of longer names ending in -mela, such as Carmela and Amelia. In Polish, Czech, and other Slavic languages, Mela is a familiar pet form of Melania. That name goes back to Greek melaina, the feminine of melas, "black, dark," so its literal sense describes dark coloring. When Mela stands for Melania, that is the meaning it carries.
Mela Name History & Origins
Roman records use Mela as a cognomen, the third element of a citizen's name. The geographer Pomponius Mela, who wrote a survey of the known world in the first century CE and came from Tingentera in southern Spain, is the best-known bearer; the same cognomen belonged to Marcus Annaeus Mela, father of the poet Lucan. This Roman use was masculine and stands apart from the later feminine name.
The feminine name has two linguistic routes. Italian Mela rests on the common noun mela, "apple," and is also used as a pet form of Carmela, Amelia, and other names ending in -mela. In Polish, Czech, and related Slavic languages, Mela serves as a short form of Melania. Melania was the name of two early Christian saints, Melania the Elder and Melania the Younger, who were born into Roman senatorial families; devotion to them helped spread the name in both the Greek-speaking East and the Latin West. From these Italian and Slavic traditions, Mela has been carried as a given name in its own right in Europe and in communities that speak those languages.
How Popular is the Name Mela?
Mela has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #2,135 in 1905.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,058 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #5,530 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2023 | #4,950 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 2022 | #4,433 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #4,299 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2020 | #3,260 | 48 | 0.0030% |
| 2019 | #2,982 | 55 | 0.0033% |
| 2018 | #3,773 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 2017 | #4,549 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2016 | #4,493 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2015 | #4,043 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2014 | #3,975 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2013 | #4,606 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2012 | #4,927 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #5,155 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #7,118 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #8,321 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #6,734 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #6,025 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2006 | #5,654 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #8,682 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #9,079 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #13,362 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #11,818 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #13,823 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #10,777 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #14,567 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #13,118 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #9,779 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #9,871 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #9,204 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #10,268 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #10,013 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #9,267 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #6,792 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #8,220 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #7,250 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #7,439 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #5,654 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #3,955 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #5,874 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #6,565 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #4,273 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #3,881 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #3,613 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1951 | #4,679 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #5,839 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #4,229 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #4,796 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #4,383 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #4,847 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #4,191 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1934 | #2,256 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1933 | #3,310 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1932 | #2,451 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1931 | #4,761 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,555 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #3,300 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #2,584 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1927 | #2,403 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1926 | #3,787 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #4,779 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,306 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #5,463 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1922 | #3,297 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #3,582 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #4,266 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #3,148 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #3,422 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #3,456 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,053 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #3,480 | 6 | 0.0008% |
| 1905 | #2,135 | 5 | 0.0017% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Mela
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with M
Short Girl Names That Start with M
How the Name Mela Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Mela's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mela's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.