Melinda
An eighteenth-century literary coinage on the -linda ending of Belinda.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Melinda appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 15 different years between 1965 and 1980. Its biggest year was 1970, when 4,225 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 93 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1973, at No. 72. All told, 136,159 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Melynda (2,723) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Mindy
Explore Melinda interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 129 | No. 449 |
| 1890s | 157 | No. 638 |
| 1900s | 137 | No. 795 |
| 1910s | 199 | No. 1055 |
| 1920s | 202 | No. 1647 |
| 1930s | 567 | No. 484 |
| 1940s | 5,423 | No. 227 |
| 1950s | 21,509 | No. 142 |
| 1960s | 36,297 | No. 89 |
| 1970s | 36,438 | No. 72 |
| 1980s | 22,212 | No. 92 |
| 1990s | 7,926 | No. 208 |
| 2000s | 2,495 | No. 695 |
| 2010s | 1,571 | No. 1095 |
| 2020s | 560 | No. 1849 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.