Mellissia
A feminine variant of Melissa, meaning "honeybee" from Greek origins.
Name Census estimates that about 51 living Americans carry the first name Mellissia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mellissia today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mellissia births was 1972 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mellissia. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mellissia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
51
~ 1 in 6,720,673 Americans
Peak year
1972
8 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1980 SSA rank
#7,864
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Mellissia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mellissia 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 36 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
Mellissia 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 Mellissia 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 Mellissia
The name Mellissia has its origins in ancient Greek, derived from the word "melissa" meaning "honey bee." The name was initially associated with the Greek goddess of honey, Melissa, who was believed to have nurtured the infant Zeus with honey.
In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who discovered and taught the art of beekeeping and honey production. Her name became synonymous with sweetness, diligence, and the abundance of nature's gifts. The earliest recorded use of the name Mellissia dates back to the 5th century BCE, appearing in various Greek texts and literary works.
During the Byzantine era, Mellissia gained popularity as a Christian name, particularly among the Greek Orthodox community. It was often given to girls born in the spring or summer months, symbolizing the sweetness and renewal of life. The name was also associated with the virtue of industriousness, as exemplified by the hardworking nature of honey bees.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mellissia was Mellissia of Thessalonica, a 4th-century Christian martyr known for her unwavering faith and courage in the face of persecution. Another notable figure was Mellissia of Constantinople, a 9th-century Byzantine noblewoman renowned for her patronage of the arts and her philanthropic endeavors.
In the Middle Ages, the name Mellissia was widely used across the Byzantine Empire and its neighboring regions. Mellissia Doukas, a 12th-century Byzantine princess and wife of the Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja, played a significant role in fostering cultural and religious ties between the two realms.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity in Italy, where it was often rendered as "Melissa" or "Melissia." One notable bearer was Melissia Strozzi, a 16th-century Italian poet and humanist who was admired for her intellectual prowess and literary contributions.
In more recent times, Mellissia has remained a unique and relatively uncommon name, particularly in the English-speaking world. However, it has continued to evoke associations with sweetness, nature's bounty, and the virtues of hard work and resilience, carrying on the legacy of its ancient Greek origins.
People
Mellissia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mellissia 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
Mellissia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mellissia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 51 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mellissia 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 6,720,673 US residents.
Is Mellissia a common name?
We classify Mellissia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mellissia most popular?
The single biggest year for Mellissia was 1972, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mellissia is about 52 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 Mellissia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mellissia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mellissia 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 Mellissia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mellissia 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 Mellissia 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 Americans are named Mellissia?
You can see how many people have the name Mellissia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.