Melyssa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "honey bee".
Name Census estimates that about 1,936 living Americans carry the first name Melyssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Melyssa today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melyssa births was 1989 (121 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melyssa. 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
1.9K
~ 1 in 177,043 Americans
Peak year
1989
121 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,009
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Melyssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melyssa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 658 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melyssa 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 Melyssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melyssas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Melyssa, while Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 57 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Melyssa
The name Melyssa is derived from the ancient Greek word "melissa," which means "honey bee." It is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, where honey bees were revered for their industriousness and the sweetness of their honey.
In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who discovered and taught the art of beekeeping to humanity. She was also said to have nursed the infant Zeus with honey, cementing her association with bees and the sweet nectar they produce.
The earliest recorded use of the name Melyssa can be traced back to the 5th century BC, where it was mentioned in the works of Greek poets and playwrights. It was a relatively common name among Greek women during that time period.
Over the centuries, the name Melyssa has appeared in various historical records and literature. One notable example is the ancient Greek philosopher Melissa, who lived around the 5th century BC and is credited with writing a work on the nature of the soul and the universe.
In the Middle Ages, the name Melyssa was adopted by some Christian families, as it was seen as a reference to the sweetness of Christ's teachings and the industriousness of the faithful. One historical figure with this name was Melyssa of Bari, a 12th-century Italian noblewoman and religious leader.
During the Renaissance, the name gained popularity among artists and intellectuals, who were drawn to its classical Greek roots and associations with honey and sweetness. One famous bearer of the name was Melyssa Mercia, a 16th-century Italian painter known for her portraits and religious works.
In more recent history, the name Melyssa has been borne by several notable individuals, including Melyssa Ford, an American model and actress born in 1976, and Melyssa Griffith-Warmind, a British mathematician and computer scientist born in 1967.
Another prominent figure with this name is Melyssa Donaghy, a Canadian singer and songwriter born in 1983, who was a member of the popular music group Lillix. Additionally, Melyssa Savannah, an American actress born in 1972, has appeared in various television shows and films.
People
Melyssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melyssa 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
Melyssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melyssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,936 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melyssa 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 177,043 US residents.
Is Melyssa a common name?
We classify Melyssa as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,023 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melyssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Melyssa was 1989, when 121 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melyssa is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melyssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melyssa 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.