NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Melody

A feminine name meaning "song" from the Greek melodia.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Melody is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Melody popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #289, with 155 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 192 births.

This profile covers 3,647 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 81% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 3,889 living people in the UK are called Melody. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Melody ranked #289 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 155 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2023, when 192 girls were registered as Melody.
  • Melody ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #230 in 2024.
  • About 3,889 living people in the UK are estimated to have Melody as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#289

2024

Births in 2024

155

Latest year

Peak year

2023

192 births

Estimated living

3,889

2026

Meaning

What does Melody mean?

The given name Melody has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the word "melos," which means "song" or "tune." The name itself is a relatively modern one, gaining popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a reflection of the Romantic period's celebration of music and the arts.

While the name Melody is not directly referenced in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Greek roots can be traced back to the classical era, where music and poetry were highly revered art forms. The earliest recorded instances of the name's use are from the late 19th century, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United States and Britain.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Melody was Melody Maker, an American actress born in 1896 who appeared in several silent films during the early 20th century. Another early bearer of the name was Melody Sheehan, an American socialite and philanthropist born in 1901.

In the world of music, one of the most famous Melodys was Melody Gardot, a renowned American jazz singer and songwriter born in 1985. Gardot's unique blend of jazz, folk, and blues styles has earned her critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base worldwide.

Another prominent figure with the name Melody was Melody Petersen, an American journalist and author born in 1958. Petersen is known for her investigative reporting on the pharmaceutical industry, including her book "Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs."

Lastly, Melody Biringer, an American software engineer and computer scientist born in 1959, made significant contributions to the development of early graphical user interfaces and the Xerox Star workstation.

These individuals, spanning various fields and time periods, exemplify the versatility and enduring appeal of the name Melody, which continues to evoke a sense of harmony, creativity, and artistic expression.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Melody over time

The chart below shows babies named Melody registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Melody, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 155 births in 2024, compared with 192 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Melody
04896144192199620102024

Decades

Melody by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Melody was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #274 847 5
2010s #287 1,697 10
2000s #428 937 10
1990s #621 166 4

Geography

Where Melody is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Melody. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Melody ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #230 in 2024.

Scotland
16
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Melody in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#230 in 2024

32 years of NRS records, 248 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#407 in 2024

4 years of NISRA records, 14 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Melody

  • Melody MacDonald

    animal rights advocate

    British activist

    2000-

  • Melody R. Briggs

    theologian

    British theologian

  • Melody Sachs

    actor; novelist

    English actress and author

    ?-2017

Related

Names similar to Melody

FAQ

Melody: questions and answers

How popular is the name Melody in the UK right now?

In 2024, Melody was ranked #289 for girls in England and Wales, with 155 births registered.

When was Melody most popular?

The peak year on record was 2023, with 192 babies registered as Melody in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Melody?

A feminine name meaning "song" from the Greek melodia.

How many people are called Melody in the UK?

A total of 3,647 babies have been registered as Melody across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 248 more in Scotland and 14 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Melody most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Melody ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #230 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.