Melisia
A feminine name derived from Greek meaning "honeybee" or "honey sweet".
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Melisia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melisia today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melisia births was 1971 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melisia. 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
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
1971
15 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1984 SSA rank
#9,903
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Melisia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melisia from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 66 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
Melisia 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 Melisia 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 Melisia
The name Melisia is believed to have originated from the Greek language, with roots that can be traced back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "melissa," which means "honey bee." This connection to the industrious and sweet-producing insect has given the name a symbolic association with diligence, hard work, and the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melisia can be found in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, Melisia was the name of a nymph who was transformed into a honey bee by the goddess Artemis. This mythological reference highlights the name's deep-rooted ties to Greek culture and its reverence for nature.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Melisia. One such figure was Melisia of Gortyn, a ancient Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BC. She was renowned for her contributions to the field of ethics and is considered one of the earliest female philosophers in recorded history.
In the medieval period, Melisia was the name of a influential abbess who lived in the 12th century. Melisia of Biecz was a Polish nun and the first abbess of the Cistercian monastery in Biecz, Poland. Her leadership and piety made her a respected figure in the religious community of her time.
During the Renaissance, Melisia Nuti (1542-1590) was an Italian painter and engraver who gained recognition for her artistic talents. She was one of the few female artists of the era to achieve notable success and recognition in her lifetime.
Another remarkable individual named Melisia was Melisia Longchamp (1665-1731), a French novelist and playwright. Her works, which often explored themes of love and society, were widely popular during the Enlightenment period and contributed to the literary culture of her time.
In more recent history, Melisia Fedichkin (1888-1960) was a Russian-born American artist and illustrator. She is best known for her vibrant paintings depicting scenes of everyday life and her contributions to the American Modernist movement in the early 20th century.
While the name Melisia may not be as commonly used today as it once was, its rich history and connections to various cultures and time periods underscore its enduring charm and significance. From its Greek origins to its association with remarkable individuals throughout the ages, the name Melisia continues to evoke a sense of natural beauty, diligence, and artistic expression.
People
Melisia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melisia 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
Melisia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melisia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melisia 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Melisia a common name?
We classify Melisia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 122 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melisia most popular?
The single biggest year for Melisia was 1971, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melisia is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melisia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melisia 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.