How Many People Are Named Mel?
An estimated 2,867 people in the United States have the first name Mel. It is used for both genders, with 88.2% male. The average bearer is 56 years old, and Mel peaked in popularity in 1958 with 131 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Mel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Mel paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
2,867
About 1 in 119,552 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
88.2% confidence
Average Age
56
years old
Peak Year
1958
131 births
Total Registered
4,175
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Mel
Mel is predominantly male (88.2%), though 492 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Mel as a male name
Ranked #8,713 in 2024
9 male births in 2024
Peak: 1958 (119 births)
Mel as a female name
Ranked #6,819 in 2024
17 female births in 2024
Peak: 2004 (30 births)
Mel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Mel span from the 1900s to the 2020s, covering 13 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 935 babies were registered. Mel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Mel by Decade
How has Mel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Mel by State
Birth registrations for Mel span all 19 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Illinois. The lowest are in New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri. On average, about 67 Mels were registered per state.
Mel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Mel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Mel
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Mel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mel?
We estimate approximately 2,867 people named Mel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 119,552 Americans share this first name.
Is Mel a common name?
Mel is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 4,175 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Mel most popular?
Mel reached peak popularity in 1958, when 131 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Mel is approximately 56 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Mel a male name?
Mel is predominantly male. 88.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Mel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Mel Smith, Mel Johnson, Mel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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