Ilyssa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "my joy".
Name Census estimates that about 761 living Americans carry the first name Ilyssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilyssa today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilyssa births was 2004 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilyssa. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ilyssa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
761
~ 1 in 450,400 Americans
Peak year
2004
41 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,154
Tracked since 1965
Census
Ilyssa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 727 people with the first name Ilyssa, which placed it at #15,730 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,730
National first-name rank
People counted
727
727 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
64.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ilyssa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilyssa is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ilyssa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ilyssa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 470
- Hispanic or Latino20.5% · 149
- Black or African American6.6% · 48
- Two or more races4.3% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Popularity
Ilyssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilyssa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 248 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilyssa 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 Ilyssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilyssas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Ilyssa, while Texas, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 50 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilyssa
Ilyssa is a feminine given name of uncertain origin, though it is believed to have roots in ancient Greek or Latin cultures. One theory suggests that it is derived from the Greek word "elussa," which means "she who wraps or envelops," possibly referring to a protective or nurturing quality.
Another possibility is that Ilyssa is a variant of the Latin name "Elissa," which was the mythological name of the founder of Carthage. In Greek mythology, Elissa was also known as Dido, the tragic queen who famously committed suicide after being abandoned by her lover, Aeneas.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ilyssa dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various literary works and historical records. One notable bearer of the name was Ilyssa Selwynne, an English noblewoman born in 1575 who was known for her philanthropic work and support of the arts.
In the 18th century, Ilyssa Beaumont (1710-1792) was a French philosopher and writer who contributed to the Enlightenment movement with her essays on education and women's rights. Her works were influential in challenging societal norms and advocating for greater equality.
During the Victorian era, Ilyssa Pemberton (1842-1912) was a renowned English novelist and poet. Her romantic novels were widely popular in her time and explored themes of love, loyalty, and societal expectations.
In more recent history, Ilyssa Rivard (1920-2005) was a Canadian painter and sculptor known for her abstract expressionist works. Her vibrant use of color and bold brushstrokes earned her recognition in the art world, and her pieces are displayed in galleries across North America.
Ilyssa Melo (1955-2021) was a Brazilian human rights activist and advocate for indigenous communities. She dedicated her life to promoting social justice and preserving the cultural heritage of Brazil's native populations, earning numerous awards and accolades for her tireless efforts.
While the exact origins of the name Ilyssa remain uncertain, its beautiful sound and rich cultural associations have contributed to its enduring appeal throughout history.
People
Ilyssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilyssa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ilyssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilyssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 761 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilyssa 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 450,400 US residents.
Is Ilyssa a common name?
We classify Ilyssa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 786 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilyssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilyssa was 2004, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilyssa is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ilyssa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 727 people with the name Ilyssa, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,730 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ilyssa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ilyssa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ilyssa appears almost entirely female. Of the 727 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ilyssa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilyssa is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ilyssa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ilyssa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (470 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ilyssa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ilyssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilyssa 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 Ilyssa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ilyssa 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 Ilyssa 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.
How many people share the name Ilyssa?
Find out how many people share the name Ilyssa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.