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I think Melania is very pretty. Melania Trump is not the only name bearer. I like it much better than Melanie or any of the other variations .

agree with the others that say Melanie is a better choice. Another alternative could be Elania, or Eleni? or Melodia. Sky is the limit on Mel- and EL- names lately.

Personally, I find nothing wrong with it. My first association was not with Melania Trump, despite knowing of her, and I doubt a lot of people would think of her right off the bat. Furthermore, I assume what you dislike about Melania Trump is her views and/or morals. If that's the case, if your book showcased her morals, it would be an issue, but I doubt it will. And if it clearly does not, then it won't matter that there's a character named Melania. Melania is, after all, a name. Not a type of person. I've read stories before with characters named Adolf that didn't turn it into an issue. However, if you want to play it 100% safe, you may want to change the name.

Melania puts me right off, not because of her strange taste in husbands but from its resemblance to some kind of cancer. Melanie is bright and friendly; if that suits your character or not, I think it's a better choice.

I would use Melanie

You can use Melaniya, the version with the y, if you do not want associations.

I wouldn't automatically assume the author is a Trump supporter. It would depend how the name is used. The thing with Melania is, it's a pretty exotic name, while also being just one small change away from a much more common option. If the character was named Melania but that choice doesn't make much sense in terms of the story, I'd perhaps be suspicious.

Melania Trump is the person I associate the name with. It’s it a common name in English speaking countries so I’m sure many people have the same view. Michelle (Obama), Laura (Bush), and Hillary (Clinton ) do not have the same one person association. If you like the name Melania you can use Melanie, or Melaine.

For me the first thing that comes to mind is Melania Trump, though I wouldn't assume an author is a Trump supporter for using the name. If you are really adverse to the association you could use Melanie or Malani.