Jalyssa
A feminine name of modern English origin, possibly a variant of Alyssa or Jessica.
Name Census estimates that about 1,657 living Americans carry the first name Jalyssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jalyssa today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalyssa births was 2007 (105 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalyssa. 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.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 206,852 Americans
Peak year
2007
105 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,497
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Jalyssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalyssa from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 755 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
Jalyssa 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 Jalyssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jalyssas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Jalyssa, while Georgia, Arizona, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 66 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jalyssa
The name Jalyssa is believed to have originated as a modern variation of the French name Jalyssia. While its exact origins are unclear, it is thought to be derived from a combination of the French words "jali," meaning "jealous" or "envious," and "ssa," a common feminine suffix.
Some linguistic experts suggest that the name may have roots in the ancient Greek language, with "jali" potentially stemming from the Greek word "zelos," which translates to "zeal" or "ardor." However, there is no concrete historical evidence to support this theory.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jalyssa can be traced back to the late 20th century, with the first known person bearing the name being Jalyssa Monteiro, a Brazilian actress born in 1985. Other notable individuals named Jalyssa include:
1. Jalyssa Huston (born 1991), an American volleyball player who competed for the University of Georgia.
2. Jalyssa Aguirre (born 1995), a Mexican-American singer and songwriter known for her participation in the reality show "La Banda."
3. Jalyssa Fernandez (born 1998), a Puerto Rican model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Puerto Rico Petite competition in 2016.
4. Jalyssa Gallegos (born 2000), an American gymnast who represented the United States at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships.
5. Jalyssa Sepulveda (born 2002), a Venezuelan actress and model who has appeared in several television commercials and soap operas.
While the name Jalyssa is relatively new and has not been widely used throughout history, its unique spelling and blend of French and potentially Greek influences have made it a distinctive and increasingly popular choice for parents in recent decades.
People
Jalyssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalyssa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jalyssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalyssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,657 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalyssa 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 206,852 US residents.
Is Jalyssa a common name?
We classify Jalyssa as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,686 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalyssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalyssa was 2007, when 105 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalyssa is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jalyssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jalyssa 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.
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.