Monáe is a modern African American name, originally adopted as the stage surname of Janelle Monáe Robinson — derived from a phonetic French-style spelling of Monae / Monet (after the painter Claude Monet, whom her parents admired). **Now used independently as a given name in 21st-century American families**. **Janelle Monáe (born 1985)** — **American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress; eight-time Grammy Award nominee; her concept albums *The ArchAndroid* (2010), *The Electric Lady* (2013), *Dirty Computer* (2018), and *The Age of Pleasure* (2023) form one of the most-acclaimed Afrofuturist song cycles in modern American music**; her alter ego "Cindi Mayweather" is one of the most-developed concept-album characters of the 21st century. **Acted in three Academy Award Best Picture nominees in two years — *Hidden Figures* (2016), *Moonlight* (2016), and a leading role in *Antebellum* (2020)**; *Knives Out: Glass Onion* (2022). **CFDA Fashion Icon Award (2024)**. **Came out as non-binary and pansexual in 2022 — one of the most-followed LGBTQ+ celebrity coming-out stories of the year**. The name **Monae** has appeared in the US top-1000 baby names since 2013, reflecting Janelle Monáe's broad cultural influence. **Monae Alexander** — American model.
Featured throughout 21st-century American music and film.
Monáe reduces to seven — the number of ArchAndroid.