Melania Trump was born as Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia). Her early years were a far cry from the glamour of the White House. Her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs raised her alongside her older sister Ines in a modest household. The family name, Knavs, has Germanic roots and translates to ‘hillock,’ reflective of their Slovenian heritage.
As per Irish Star, the name Melanija is derived from the Greek word ‘mélas’ meaning ‘dark’ or ‘black.’ When she embarked on her modeling career at 16, Melania embraced a new identity, altering her name to the Germanic spelling ‘Knauss’ and dropping the traditional ‘j’ from her first name. This change marked the beginning of her journey into the global spotlight. Melania’s modeling career brought her to New York in the 1990s, where she met Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week Party in 1998. They later wed in 2005.
Melania was on Fox this morning selling “patriotic” Christmas ornaments. pic.twitter.com/wm07nuqrEF — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 6, 2024
Fluent in six languages—Slovenian, English, French, German, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian—she became the only First Lady in US history whose native language wasn’t English. Melania’s tenure as First Lady showcased her multifaceted persona. She launched the ‘Be Best’ initiative, focusing on children’s well-being, social media awareness, and combating opioid abuse. However, she has rarely engaged in political discourse. Fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen revealed,
Melania Trump’s Slovenian First Name and the More Unusual Surname She Dropped After Move to US Revealed
