Alyssum
A feminine name derived from the Greek word for the flower alyssum.
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Alyssum. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alyssum today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alyssum births was 2016 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alyssum. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Alyssum. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
2016
7 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,976
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Alyssum: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alyssum from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alyssum by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alyssum during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alyssum
The given name Alyssum has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the botanical name for the flower genus Alyssum, which includes species like sweet alyssum and yellow alyssum. The name Alyssum itself comes from the Greek word "alyssos," meaning "curing rage or madness," referring to the belief that the plant had calming properties.
In ancient Greek mythology, Alyssum was associated with the goddess Aphrodite, who was believed to have created the flower to heal the wound of her lover Adonis. This connection to the goddess of love and beauty may have contributed to the name's popularity as a given name.
The earliest recorded use of Alyssum as a given name dates back to the late 19th century, when it was popularized by English-speaking writers and botanists who were inspired by the delicate and fragrant alyssum flowers.
One of the earliest known individuals named Alyssum was Alyssum Coddington, an English botanist born in 1856. She was renowned for her extensive collection of pressed flowers and her contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
Another notable figure was Alyssum Whittier, an American poet born in 1878, known for her nature-inspired verse and her advocacy for women's rights. Her collection "Songs of the Meadow" featured several poems celebrating the beauty of the alyssum flower.
In the early 20th century, Alyssum Blackwood, a Canadian artist born in 1902, gained recognition for her vibrant paintings depicting alyssum flowers in various landscapes. Her work was celebrated for its attention to detail and vivid colors.
Alyssum Renault, a French author born in 1920, wrote several popular novels that featured characters with botanical names, including the protagonist Alyssum in her novel "The Gardener's Daughter."
Finally, Alyssum Sorrentino, an Italian opera singer born in 1945, was renowned for her powerful soprano voice and her performances in productions that often featured floral motifs and references to the alyssum flower in the set design.
While not a common given name, Alyssum has been used throughout history as a unique and poetic choice, often associated with nature, beauty, and the art of flower arranging and gardening.
People
Alyssum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alyssum as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alyssum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alyssum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alyssum going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Alyssum a common name?
We classify Alyssum as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alyssum most popular?
The single biggest year for Alyssum was 2016, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alyssum is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Alyssum in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alyssum a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alyssum in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Alyssum still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alyssum in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Alyssum can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Alyssum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.