Melania

{{other uses}} [[File:Heilige Melania de Jongere als kluizenares S. Melania Junior (titel op object) Kluizenaressen (serietitel) Sacra Eremus Ascetriarum (serietitel), RP-P-OB-26.729 (cropped).jpg|thumb|''Saint Melania the Younger'' by Boetius à Bolswert after Abraham Bloemaert, c. 1605]] '''Melania''' is a feminine given name of Latin origin that derives from the Greek word ''melaina'' ({{Wikt-lang|grc|μέλαινα}}), the feminine form of the adjective ''melas'' ({{Wikt-lang|grc|μέλας}}) meaning "black" or "dark". The name was borne by the two saints Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, and was the origin of the name Melanie.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Melanie |last=Hanks |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Hanks |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001/acref-9780198610601-e-2291 |encyclopedia=A Dictionary of First Names |last2=Hardcastle |first2=Kate |last3=Hodges |first3=Flavia |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-861060-1 |edition=2 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001|location=Oxford|year=2006|via=Oxford Reference|url-access=subscription }}</ref> People named Melania include: {{wiktionary|Melania}} * Melania the Elder (350–410), a Christian saint and an influential figure in the ascetic movement * Melania the Younger (383–439), a Christian saint who lived during the reign of Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius * Melania Alvarez, Mexican mathematics educator in Canada * Melania "Melani" Costa (born 1989), Spanish swimmer * Melania Cristescu, Romanian–Canadian biologist * Melania Gabbiadini (born 1983), Italian former footballer * Melania Grego (born 1973), Italian former water polo player * Melania Hotu (born 1959), provincial governor of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) * Melania Mazzucco (born 1966), Italian author * Melania Rodríguez (born 2001), Spanish trampolinist * Melania Tartabull (born 1955), Cuban volleyball player * Melania Trump (born 1970), Slovene-American model and First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and since 2025 * Melania Ursu (1940–2016), Romanian stage and film actress

== See also ==

* Melanie * Mélanie * Melanija * Malenia, character in the video game ''Elden Ring'' * Melaina, a Corycian nymph in Greek mythology

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{given name}}

Category:Feminine given names Category:Given names of Greek language origin Category:Greek feminine given names Category:Italian feminine given names Category:Spanish feminine given names Category:Portuguese feminine given names Category:Russian feminine given names Category:Ukrainian feminine given names Category:Polish feminine given names Category:Romanian feminine given names Category:Bulgarian feminine given names Category:Slovene feminine given names Category:Serbian feminine given names Category:Croatian feminine given names