Melessa
A feminine name with Greek origins meaning "bee" or "honey bee".
Name Census estimates that about 441 living Americans carry the first name Melessa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melessa today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melessa births was 1976 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melessa. 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
441
~ 1 in 777,221 Americans
Peak year
1976
28 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1992 SSA rank
#11,261
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Melessa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melessa from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 196 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melessa 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 Melessa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melessas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melessa
The name Melessa is of Greek origin, deriving from the ancient Greek word "melissā," which means "bee." This name's roots can be traced back to the mythological figure of Melissa, a nymph who was transformed into a bee by the goddess Artemis. The name's association with bees and honey production in ancient Greek culture reflects the reverence and importance placed on these creatures in their agricultural practices.
In ancient Greek mythology, Melissa was revered as a priestess of the goddess Demeter and was believed to have been the first to discover the art of honey production. The name Melessa would have been bestowed upon individuals with a connection to beekeeping or those born under auspicious circumstances associated with bees.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Melessa can be found in ancient Greek texts and historical records from the 5th century BCE. One notable figure bearing this name was Melessa of Ephesus, a renowned poet and philosopher who lived during the 3rd century BCE. Her works, though largely lost to time, were celebrated for their insights into the nature of the universe and the human condition.
In the 1st century CE, the name Melessa made an appearance in the writings of the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger, who referenced a woman by this name in his treatise on the virtues of a tranquil life.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Melessa found its way into various literary works and historical accounts, albeit with varying spellings and regional adaptations. One such example is Melissande, a character in the 12th-century French romantic epic "Roman de Tristan et Iseut," where she was portrayed as a beautiful and enchanting figure.
In the realm of historical figures, Melessa Gismondi, an Italian painter from the 16th century, was renowned for her portraiture and religious works. Her paintings adorned the walls of numerous churches and palaces throughout Italy, showcasing her artistic talent and skill.
Another notable bearer of the name was Melessa Fochetti, a 17th-century Italian composer and musician who gained recognition for her compositions for the harpsichord and her contributions to the development of the Baroque musical style.
As the name Melessa transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, it continued to surface in various contexts throughout history, carrying with it the essence of its ancient Greek origins and the symbolism of bees and their industrious nature.
People
Melessa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melessa 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
Melessa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melessa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 441 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melessa 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 777,221 US residents.
Is Melessa a common name?
We classify Melessa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 502 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melessa most popular?
The single biggest year for Melessa was 1976, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melessa is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melessa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melessa 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.