How to say it
MEL · o · dy
/ˈmɛl.ə.di/
Feminine
Melody
Song, music
What it means
Greek melōidía, 'singing,' from melos ('song') + ōidḗ ('ode'). One of the word names (alongside Harmony, Symphony, Cadence) that came into US use through music families.
Melody comes from the Greek melōidía ('singing'), itself from melos ('song') + ōidḗ ('ode'). As a given name it picked up in the mid-20th century alongside other word and virtue names. The musical theater scene and gospel choir tradition both used the name for daughters; the broader music-name wave (Harmony, Cadence) followed in the 2000s. Melody has been in the US top 200 since 2014. Mel is the standard short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #79 in 2025, currently #79 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Mel is the standard short; some families use Mellie. Most Melodies keep the full three syllables.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Melody (Josie and the Pussycats) The dim-but-sweet drummer in the animated series
- Melody Thornton Singer, Pussycat Dolls
Spelling variants
- Melodie
- Melodia
Names with the same feeling
See Melody from another angle
By style