Throughout the world, Melnikov (Мельников 
, Melnikov 
, Мелников 
) is a rare primarily male, but very infrequently female first name. The first name Melnikov is characteristic of Russia, where it is a very rare boy's name, and China, where it is an extremely rare largely male, but uncommonly feminine name. Much more prevalently, Melnikov is the last name as well as the forename.
| VARIANT | COUNTRY |
|---|---|
| Мельников | Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus |
| Melnikov | Russia, Israel, Estonia, United States, Uzbekistan |
| Мелников | Russia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan |
| מלניקוב | Israel |
Mel'Nikov, Melnikow, Meļņikovs, Mielnikov, Mielnikow, Васильевич, Владимирович, Иванович, Мелніков, Мельникова, Мельніков, and Павлович