Melisssa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "honey bee".
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Melisssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melisssa today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melisssa births was 1981 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melisssa. 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
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
1981
14 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1990 SSA rank
#14,412
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Melisssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melisssa from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 72 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melisssa 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 Melisssa 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 Melisssa
The name Melisssa has its origins in the ancient Greek language, derived from the Greek word "melissa," which means "honeybee." It is believed to have been first used as a name during the classical era in ancient Greece, sometime around the 5th century BCE.
The name was likely inspired by the importance of bees and beekeeping in ancient Greek culture, where honey was a valuable commodity and bees were revered for their industrious nature. The name may have been given to children as a symbol of sweetness, diligence, and productivity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Melisssa can be found in Greek mythology. Melisssa was a nymph who, according to legend, was transformed into a honeybee by the goddess Artemis. This mythological connection further reinforced the association between the name and bees.
In ancient Greek literature, the name Melisssa is mentioned in works by the poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos around 600 BCE. Sappho's writings included references to women named Melisssa, suggesting the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Melisssa. One of the earliest was Melisssa of Byzantium, a philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century BCE. Another famous Melisssa was Melisssa the Younger, a 5th-century Christian martyr and saint from Persia.
In the medieval period, Melisssa de Courtenay (1204-1233) was a notable figure, serving as the Empress of Nicaea and Regent of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. During the Renaissance, Melisssa Tognozzi (1425-1501) was an Italian poet and humanist scholar.
More recently, Melisssa Hayden (1839-1935) was a Canadian women's rights activist and pioneer in the field of nursing education, while Melisssa Gilbert (born 1964) is an American actress best known for her role in the television series "Little House on the Prairie."
Throughout its long history, the name Melisssa has maintained its connection to the natural world and the industrious nature of honeybees, making it a enduring and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with rich cultural and symbolic significance.
People
Melisssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melisssa 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
Melisssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melisssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melisssa 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Melisssa a common name?
We classify Melisssa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melisssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Melisssa was 1981, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melisssa is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Melisssa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Melisssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melisssa 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 Melisssa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Melisssa 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 Melisssa 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Melisssa?
See how many people have the name Melisssa on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.