Melesa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from Greek elements suggesting "honey" or "sweet".
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Melesa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melesa today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melesa births was 1963 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melesa. 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
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
1963
9 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1993 SSA rank
#12,866
Tracked since 1957
Census
Melesa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 210 people with the first name Melesa, which placed it at #37,260 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
#37,260
National first-name rank
People counted
210
210 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melesa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melesa is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Melesa 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 Melesa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 140
- Black or African American19.5% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 17
- Two or more races3.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 5
Popularity
Melesa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melesa from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 36 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Melesa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melesa 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 Melesa 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 Melesa
The name Melesa is believed to have originated from the Greek language, with its roots tracing back to ancient times. Its earliest form is thought to be "Melisa," derived from the Greek word "melissa," which translates to "honey bee." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with qualities like diligence, productivity, and sweetness.
In ancient Greek mythology, the goddess Artemis was often depicted with a swarm of honey bees surrounding her, symbolizing her role as the protector of young creatures and the natural world. It is possible that the name Melesa was initially bestowed upon young girls as a way to invoke the goddess's blessings and traits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melesa can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman named Melesa from the city of Ephesus in the 5th century BC. Ephesus was known for its grand Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, further strengthening the name's connection to the goddess.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Melesa. In the 1st century AD, there was a Roman noblewoman named Melesa Claudia, who was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of the arts. During the Byzantine Empire, a scholar and philosopher named Melesa of Constantinople (circa 550 AD) gained recognition for her works on logic and metaphysics.
In the medieval period, Melesa de Montfort (1201-1249) was a prominent figure in France, renowned for her role in the Albigensian Crusade and her efforts to maintain control over the Montfort lands. Another notable bearer of the name was the Italian painter Melesa Gozzadini (1472-1542), whose works are still celebrated for their intricate details and vibrant colors.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Melesa Garibaldi (1821-1887) was an Italian patriot and the wife of the famous military leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. She played a crucial role in supporting the Italian unification movement and is remembered for her unwavering dedication to the cause.
While the name Melesa may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and symbolic connections to ancient Greek mythology and notable figures throughout the ages make it a unique and intriguing choice.
People
Melesa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melesa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Melesa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melesa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melesa 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 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Melesa a common name?
We classify Melesa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melesa most popular?
The single biggest year for Melesa was 1963, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melesa is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Melesa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 210 people with the name Melesa, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,260 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 Melesa 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 Melesa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Melesa appears almost entirely female. Of the 211 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Melesa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melesa is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Melesa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Melesa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (140 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 Melesa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Melesa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melesa 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 Melesa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Melesa 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 Melesa 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 have the name Melesa?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Melesa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.