MELANIE

HELLO MY NAME IS MELANIE. Meaning: black and dark Etymology: There was a saint named, Saint

Melania and she was a wealthy heiress and philantrophist of the fourth and fifth century. She earned her fame because she freed thousands of slaves and engaged in lifelong good works.

Origin: Greek Popularity: #188 out of 4276 for female names Alternative Spellings:

Melany Melony Malaney

IS IT TRUE? The definition or meaning of my name is

black and dark; even though I am not “black” or of African-American descent, I am dark skinned. So with that said, yes I think it does reflect who I am. Also, the fact that the Saint was generous with her wealth validates one of my own traits. I am very generous and willing to help and give those in need.

THE HISTORY OF MY NAME Who named me: My father, Leo Why did she give me that name: He knew

someone at his bank that was named Melanie. He fell in love with the name and ended up convincing my mom to name me after her.

IF I WAS BOY… If I was a boy, my mom would’ve named me

Christopher but my father wanted to name me Ryan. Luckily, for their sake, I was a girl and they compromised on Melanie.

NICKNAMES Mel: Just about everyone Melania: My grandmother; when she is mad Mel-ski: My uncle, Rey; just because he adds

“-ski” to the end of everyone’s name Howdy: My friend, Maria; in high school my

trademark was my greeting, “Howdy”, hence, it stuck.

CHANGES If I could change my name I would change it

to Leilani. For my 15th birthday, I decided I wanted to go to Hawaii instead of having a Quincenera party. While there, I met a paddleboard instructor whose name was Leilani. I absolutely loved it! I felt, and still feel, like it is an exotic name that is not very common in our local community. It also sounds like it could be the name of a mermaid and in my past life, I was a mermaid.