Melanie 365389 218705543 2008-06-11T20:31:12Z 75.4.8.74 {{Infobox Given Name Revised | name = Melanie | image= | imagesize= | caption= | pronunciation= MEL-a-nee (USA) ME-lah-nee (German) | gender = Female | meaning = black, dark | region = | origin = Greek | related names = Mel | footnotes = }} Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] μελαινα or ''melaina'', meaning "black, dark." It was the name of a 5th century saint venerated by the [[Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches.<ref>[http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=melanie Behind the Name]</ref> The name became more popular following the release of the book and movie [[Gone with the Wind]], which had a character named [[Melanie Wilkes]]. The name was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the [[United States]] in 2007. It was the 86th most popular name for girls born in [[France]] in 2004.<ref>[http://www.behindthename.com/top/search.php?terms=melanie Behind the Name]</ref> ==People named Melanie== * [[Melanie Brown]], a [[Spice Girl]]. * [[Melanie Chisholm]], a [[Spice Girl]]. * [[Melanie Griffith]], an [[United States|American]] actress. * [[Melanie Johnson]], a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[politician]]. * [[Melanie Martinez]], a television and stage [[actress]]. * [[Melanie Safka]], an [[United States|American]] songwriter (usually known simply as Melanie), best known for "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and "Brand New Key". * [[Melanie Thornton]], singer (former singer of [[La Bouche]]). * [[Melanie Wilkes]], a fictional character from the 1936 book ''[[Gone with the Wind]]'' and the [[Gone with the Wind (film)|1939 film of the same name]]. * [[Melanie Marcus]], a character from [[Queer as Folk (North American TV series)|Queer as Folk]]. == Other uses == * ''[[Mélanie (album)]]'', 1984 album by [[Celine Dion|Céline Dion]]. * [[Melanie (song)|"Melanie" (song)]], song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. * "[[Melanie (Toto song)|"Melanie" (Toto song)]]", song by [[Toto (band)|Toto]]. * "[[Melanie (Guster song)|"Melanie" (Guster song)]]", song on [[Guster]]'s album ''[[Goldfly (album)|Goldfly]]''. * [[Melanie (rocket)|Melanie]], name of a French rocket engine. * [[ Melanie Estrada ]], psychologist ==Notes== {{reflist}} [[Category:Given names]] [[Category:English given names]] [[de:Melanie]] [[it:Melania]] [[hu:Melánia]] [[pl:Melania]] [[sk:Melánia]] [[sr:Меланија (име)]]