I’ve been reading Gone with the Wind and the name [name]Melanie[/name] (As in [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Hamilton[/name] [name]Wilkes[/name]) has been stuck in my mind. What do you think of the name? What are some middle names you would pair it with?
I think [name]Melanie[/name] is pretty dated. It work though and I respect the reference but I prefer [name]Scarlet[/name] by a mile.
[name]Melanie[/name] feels dated to me, and I knew a person named [name]Melanie[/name] who wasn’t a bad person, I liked her, but she was definitely not the kind of person I’d want a kid named after (not that that matters to you).
I agree that [name]Melanie[/name] is pretty dated, but it was a name I suggested to my husband when we were deciding. [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Brielle[/name] popped into my head when I read your post.
I’m probably going to be the odd one out and stick up for [name]Melanie[/name]. It’s not my name, but there have been times when people mishear “[name]Natalie[/name]” as “[name]Melanie[/name]”, so it kind of sticks with me in a way. I love the Greek mythology association with this name as well. ([name]Melanie[/name] meaning “dark”; it was also the name of a cave sacred to [name]Demeter[/name])
I’d pair [name]Melanie[/name] with a shorter (1 or 2 syllables) name, especially ones that have an “astral” feel to them.
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Astrid[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Faye[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Sonya[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Fiona[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Deirdre[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Renata[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Eve[/name]
It is dated but it’s pretty. [name]Love[/name] the pp’s suggestion of [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Brielle[/name], great combo. I would use a name regardless of it being “dated” though if I liked the name.
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Jane[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Prudence[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Primrose[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Louise[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Garnet[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Blair[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Eve[/name]
My mom’s name is [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Eve[/name]! So I have a soft spot for it. It does seem dated, but it may be one of those names that’s ready for a comeback. I know one [name]Melanie[/name] who’s my mom’s age, one who’s my own age, and I’ve seen a couple of baby Melanies in the past three years or so of watching a couple in-state hospital birth websites. Best wishes!
Oh I love the suggestion of [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Faye[/name]!
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Rose[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Bree[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Gray[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Mae[/name] (for alliteration lovers, lol)
Yeah, Id go for short and classic. I dont find the name dated, I actually really like it and youve got the spunky nn [name]Mel[/name] or Gone with the Wind nn [name]Melly[/name].
I like the name [name]Melanie[/name], beautiful!
I think that ‘dated’ shouldn’t matter…I think most of the name trends now have been going on for so long that things will shift soon and for me liking the sound, background / meaning of a name matter much more! Out of all of the Gone with the Wind names I like [name]Melanie[/name] best (if only [name]Scarlett[/name] had a nn I loved!)
We have a baby in the family named [name]Melanie[/name] and I think it is adorable and not a name you hear often anymore.
I prefer [name]Melody[/name].
Oh, when my mother read GWtW, and told me about it the story as she read it, I loved the name [name]Melanie[/name] from there.
I MUCH prefer it to [name]Scarlett[/name]. [name]Both[/name] in name and character.
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Hanna[/name]/[name]Hannah[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Elena[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Noelle[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Abigail[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Cordelia[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Louise[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Grace[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] is FAR from dated to me.
I agree completely!
This sums it up for me as well.
Oh, I love that book! It is always so interesting that people think it is a love story, it never really seemed that way to me. [name]Melly[/name] from GWTW is exactly what pops into my head when I hear [name]Melanie[/name]. It gives the name a certain antique charm that it wouldn’t otherwise have. I think people who have read the book will associate the name with it, those who haven’t will think of it as a dated name. It always blows me away that people actually name girls [name]Scarlett[/name], to me she seemed like a sociopath.
I am probably in the minority, but I really don’t like [name]Scarlet[/name], and I think [name]Melanie[/name] is very pretty. I also don’t find [name]Melanie[/name] dated mostly because there just aren’t that many of them around… it’s not like half our mom’s or classmates were named [name]Melanie[/name]! It just never seemed trendy to me, which gives it a timeless feel.
I used to like [name]Melanie[/name], now I just find it kind of plain and date, plus the melanin associations make it a turn off. I prefer [name]Melody[/name].
Here are middle name suggestions anyway 
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Arielle[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Dove[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Faith[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Guinevere[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Helen[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Priscilla[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Rachel[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Saffron[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name] [name]Therese[/name]
I really like [name]Melanie[/name]'s character in Gone with the Wind. She’s kind, loving, and generous and always sees the best in everyone, and she is also brave and not willing to sacrifice her beliefs. She’s just the kind of role model I’d want for my daughter. That’s why I like the name [name]Melanie[/name]. A name that brings that to my mind doesn’t feel dated to me, especially since I never really heard of the name until I read GWTW. And as for [name]Scarlett[/name], it’s a nice name but I really don’t [name]Scarlett[/name]'s character. Sure, she’s brave and a survivor, but she’s incredibly rude, mean, and selfish, too. She was a horrible mother to her kids and a horrible wife to all of her husbands. [name]Melanie[/name] loved her, of course, but since I’ve been in [name]Scarlett[/name]'s head, I just can’t.
I really liked a pp’s suggestion of [name]Melanie[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]. I grew up near [name]Charlotte[/name], NC, so that’s a nice association for me. It’s home.
I see no reason not to use the name [name]Melanie[/name] if you like it. I don’t think it is too “dated” - I don’t think it was popular enough to have a very dated feel to it. I also like the character in GWTW.