Mel

Though no doubt a unisex name, I don't much like it on a male, and quite unappealing and bland when associated as a short form for a female just on the basis it contains "Mel". YET, when associated with the Latin meaning, and languages such as Basque, Catalan, Corsican, Esperanto, Galician, Portuguese, and Romanian, where the word "Mel" means honey, the sweet substance, the name takes on an entirely different feel. It's lovely and sweet in itself. In this sense only does Mel, as a given name or short form become appealing, feminine and attractive.

In Portuguese, "Mel" means "honey". In my opinion it's a pretty cute name though.

Boring as a full name in my opinion.

Gosh, ya'll are terribly anti against this name, am I right? Why are there thumbs-downs on the positive comments? I love it and think of it as a good nickname. I like this name for both genders, though I'm leaning more towards girls.

I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned this yet, but Mel can also be a good nickname for the very under used name MELPOMENE! I think this name is very pretty! I like it for a girl personally, and I love its meaning too. Also, side note, this name is rooted in Greek history, and is one of the few names on this comment section based off of mythology! That is very cool! Also, I want to name my daughter this.

Mel is a beautiful name and every time I hear it I think of Mel Gibson, my favorite actor. He is so hot...

Good nickname for Melody and Melanie!

It's cute! Definitely unisex.

I like Mel much more now! It's nice as a nickname for girls. It works for boys as well, but only when he's little in my opinion. I dislike Mel as a first name. It sounds too short and nicknamey, and on males, it sounds dated.

I don't like it, for a girl or boy, or as a nickname or legal name.

I like this name for both genders, although slightly more for girls. I prefer a longer name and Mel as a nickname of it, I really love all sorts of Mel- names - Melanie/Melania, Melody/Melodie, Melis(s)a/Melit(t)a, Melinda, Melina, Meliora, Melisande, Melia, Melantha, Melvin, Melville, Melchior etc. - but Mel on its own is cool too.
When I think of a woman with this name, I imagine a person in her 20's, with olive skin, dark brown, short hair and hazel eyes. She is short and may be a bit chubby, and is not beautiful but people may find her attractive anyway, because she has her own, very unique taste in how she dresses or what kind of make-up she wears, and has a lot of natural charm, zest, energy, vitality and positivity. She likes to laugh, is extroverted, is not afraid of taking small, and sometimes bigger risks, likes to make people happy, has a sense of humour and an ease to laugh at herself, she is a bit sarcastic but not in a hurtful way. People usually find her very warm, funny, happy-go-lucky, friendly, supportive and reliable. She doesn't like to worry about things in advance. She is hugely into lifestyle, likes to spend time in nature, likes to have fun and is very bubbly and sociable. She has a lot of friends that she hangs out with and makes for a great hostess. Intimate, romantic relationships play a huge role in her life, though she's not necessarily the kind of person who would stick to one partner for life. She has a lot of curiosity about the world and people, and is a very courageous person. If she has children, she dotes on them and is very maternal, very responsible and caring. She doesn't like being lonely, or thinking too much about things that she can't change. She likes to dance, move around, make changes around herself, and even as an adult person has a lot of a little girl in her personality. She is a rather carefree person by nature, but by no means careless, she does have a lot of common sense and is very dutiful. Mel is a very empathetic person and can't stand to see people suffering. She is very generous and likes to share her positive, vibrant energy with others. She may be very naive and see only the good things about other people, she often does not see dark sides of things or the danger where there is one, what she sees in people first and foremost are their good traits and their vulnerability, which is great and shows what a wonderful person she is herself, but can definitely be harmful to her long term and can make her disillusioned with time. Similarly, her seemingly inexhaustible inner resources of optimism are a great thing, but can make her experience a lot of disappointments, more than an average person.
A guy called Mel, in turn, I imagine in his late thirties-early forties (I guess it's not the average age of a Mel in the US but that's how I see it). He looks older though. He has a pleasant appearance which makes him likeable, but just like a female Mel, doesn't necessarily have to be very attractive. He has thick, black hair, tanned, olive skin and big, dark brown eyes. He has a round, friendly face, with a lot of wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, he's tall and rather large. He's definitely a phlegmatic, very calm and peaceful, with a friendly, usually quiet way of being. But he is also very charming and knows about it. His calm manner has usually just as much of a positive effect on people as his female counterpart's zest and energy. He is warm but cool-headed and has a stable personality, he hardly ever appears angry or very visibly frustrated and has a lot of patience. He may appear rather shy, he is not, but what makes such an impression is that he doesn't normally like to talk a lot, unless in the company of his best friends or other people that he knows well and has a lot of things and experiences in common. He makes for a great, sensitive and supportive husband, and an understanding, responsible and wise dad. He is very conscientious and honest, and has strong moral and ethical values.
This is not how I think all people with the name Mel are like, or how I think they should be. Rather, it's just my imagining of people with this name when I think of it. I know only one woman called Mel and she's not exactly like this.

Both guys and girls can have this name and it definitely works for guys too! My uncle is Mel and it can be masculine or feminine. It’s a great name!

I love this as just a first name on a girl. I don't really like Melissa or Melanie, so, yeh.

Only boys should feel sorry for having this name. It’s a great name, just not for a boy! When we’re talking about the name for a boy, it’s incredibly horrendous, but in the case for girls, it’s beautiful!

Love this as a nickname for any Mel name - boys or girls, though Melvin is the only male one I can think of at the moment. Melvin, Melissa, Melodie/Melody, Melinda, Melina.

It's really too bad if Mel Gibson ruins the name for someone because he's anti-Jewish. Keep in mind what they said about Mel BROOKS: "He's like the Barack Obama for short, funny Jews." It's a good name; just forget about Gibson.

It sounds boring as a legal name, and it makes me think of the hideous anti-Semite Mel Gibson.

I love this name for a girl, not so much for a boy. It's so simple, yet so full of personality! Great name. :)

I never did like the sound of this nickname, but that heinous anti-semitic and misogynist dork Mel Gibson has really made me hate it.

This name is a fun and short nickname for Melvin, Melissa, Melinda, Melanie, and Melody.