Melanie

Melanie is of ancient Greek origin, derived from the element melas, meaning black or dark. The name was borne by two notable early Christian saints, most famously Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, wealthy Roman noblewomen of the fourth and fifth centuries who became renowned for their piety and charitable works, which helped spread the name throughout the Christian world. It entered French as Mélanie and spread widely across Europe and the English-speaking world from the medieval period onward. Related forms include Melania, the Latinate version, as well as the masculine cognate Melanio.