Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Melinda as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Melinda

♡Add to my Name List

The baby name Melinda is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /məˈlɪndə/ (muh-LIN-duh).

Melinda is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /məˈlɪndə/ (muh-LIN-duh)

What is the meaning of the name Melinda ?

The baby name Melinda is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /məˈlɪndə/ (muh-LIN-duh).

Melinda is English in Origin.

Melinda is an English given name formed from the Greek root mel- (“honey,” as in Melissa) combined with the name-element -linda, from Germanic lind (“soft, tender”) and influenced by Spanish/Portuguese linda (“pretty”). The sense is often interpreted as “honey-sweet,” “gentle,” or “pretty.” It appears in 18th‑century English literature as a fashionable pastoral name and entered regular use by the 19th century.

Usage spread widely in the Anglophone world, peaking in the United States in the 1960s–80s, and it became especially beloved in Hungary after Katona József’s 1819 drama Bánk bán featured a tragic heroine named Melinda. Common short forms include Mel, Mindy, Lindy, and Melly; variant spellings run to Malinda, Melynda, and Melinda’s cognates Melina and Belinda show related roots. The name carries a warm, mellifluous sound and dual heritage, balancing classical sweetness with soft Germanic gentleness.

Melinda has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Melinda

Melinda Nadj Abonji Musician · Born 1968 · Switzerland Melinda Nadj Abonji is a Swiss musician and author, best known for her novel 'Tauben fliegen auf', which won the German Book Prize in 2010. Born in 1968, she has made significant contributions to literature and music in Switzerland.

Celebrity babies named Melinda

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Melinda Marx Groucho Marx television actor ★★★★★
Melinda Markey Joan Bennett television actor ★★★★★ Gene Markey film producer ★★★★★

Melinda – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 1993 #1 — 540
Germany Girls 2023 #1 — 420
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
KR Girls 0 #15 1 572
BW 0 #19 1 960
HU Girls 0 #26 1,013 3,308
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
HU 0 #49 85 1,675
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
PH 0 #84 13 5,607
RS 0 #84 1 923
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
ID Girls 0 #86 13 3,319
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
BN Girls 0 #106 9 5,459
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
Norway Girls 2015 #128 4 491
RS Girls 0 #129 9 1,651
Switzerland Girls 2024 #131 5 1,786
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
BW Girls 0 #143 9 4,216
CR 0 #149 10 5,526
MT Girls 0 #151 3 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
SI Girls 0 #170 8 2,769
HU Boys 0 #171 4 3,954
Sweden Girls 2022 #174 6 1,568
LU Girls 0 #175 11 4,850
HR 0 #179 3 2,081
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
Austria 0 #197 17 850
NA Girls 0 #199 26 7,146
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
AL Girls 0 #211 12 4,141
AO Girls 0 #211 7 4,575
PH Girls 0 #222 180 13,098
BG Girls 0 #223 9 3,559
MO Girls 0 #227 25 7,056
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
TW Girls 0 #234 43 8,139
SG 0 #240 30 11,010
JM Girls 0 #242 18 7,507
GR Girls 0 #243 7 6,293
JP Girls 0 #243 9 6,592
GH 0 #247 2 5,396
PT 0 #248 3 4,161
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
QA Girls 0 #253 64 15,378
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
EC Girls 0 #257 2 3,650
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
Canada Girls 2024 #276 10 2,795
HR Girls 0 #278 12 3,687
CN Girls 0 #286 64 8,829
Austria Girls 0 #297 128 1,885
MY 0 #299 32 12,352
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
DK Girls 0 #304 13 7,429
SA 0 #306 7 10,560
PE 0 #325 5 6,350
Finland Girls 0 #326 66 1,368
OM Girls 0 #326 71 15,987
CN Boys 0 #329 3 9,639
GH Girls 0 #330 8 6,973
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
JO Girls 0 #333 7 7,570
MU Girls 0 #333 19 8,539
HK 0 #334 15 8,483
SG Girls 0 #343 257 18,916
CZ Girls 0 #344 8 5,378
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
PL Girls 0 #361 4 5,096
ZA 0 #363 85 14,421
NL 0 #371 21 2,481
KW Girls 0 #378 138 19,177
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
France Girls 2021 #391 15 3,185
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
BO 0 #400 9 6,868
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
PH Boys 0 #407 2 11,440
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
Germany 0 #412 26 2,542
Finland Girls 2026 #426 478 3,895
PT Girls 0 #427 25 7,952
AE Girls 0 #428 126 20,968
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
Spain 0 #441 12 2,326
PA Girls 0 #445 37 9,861
HK Girls 0 #453 163 16,104
CR Girls 0 #471 62 11,342
GT Girls 0 #481 25 7,500
RU Girls 0 #487 12 11,913
BH 0 #497 57 17,937
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
PS Girls 0 #505 19 10,981
CO 0 #508 3 7,768
ZA Girls 0 #510 905 25,928
IT Girls 0 #511 1,804 9,415
CM Girls 0 #515 26 11,671
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
UY Girls 0 #532 5 6,731
IR Girls 0 #537 9 8,334
Germany Girls 0 #543 329 4,949
LY 0 #556 4 12,703
PS Boys 0 #560 2 10,655
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
BO Girls 0 #575 37 9,488
AR Girls 0 #585 15 8,289
IL Girls 0 #591 27 11,648
IT 0 #599 116 4,183
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
SA Girls 0 #626 319 25,931
IN Girls 0 #648 7 13,121
LB 0 #648 11 13,263
MY Girls 0 #651 364 24,821
NL Girls 0 #693 269 5,933
NG Girls 0 #704 83 15,093
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
SY 0 #765 3 11,684
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
Spain Girls 0 #812 172 5,561
PE Girls 0 #813 131 14,861
CL Girls 0 #816 36 14,098
United States Girls 2024 #826 91 8,487
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
BR Girls 0 #895 47 12,708
OM Boys 0 #917 2 17,948
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
EG Girls 0 #948 12 14,742
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
NG Boys 0 #998 4 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,039 40 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,097 87 17,781
DZ 0 #1,103 74 20,130
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
TR 0 #1,153 59 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,164 15 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,175 8 25,439
MA 0 #1,192 8 20,986
IT Boys 0 #1,458 14 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,603 12 28,008

Melinda is popular in 86 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Canada
Switzerland
Sweden

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Melinda

Melinda is predominantly a girl's name.
Melinda is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /məˈlɪndə/ (muh-LIN-duh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Malinda, Melynda, Mellinda, Melinde and Milinda.
Across languages, Melinda has these equivalents: Melissa (Greek, 'honeybee'), Meli (Greek diminutive), Mel (short form), Linda (related element).
Yes, very popular — Melinda ranked #1 in Ireland in 1993, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Melinda ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 1993).
Melinda's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #284 in 2011 to #391 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Melinda are in our database, including Melinda Nadj Abonji (Musician).
Yes — at least 2 celebrity couples have chosen Melinda for their child, including Groucho Marx.