Nyssa
An ancient Greek name referring to a mythological woodland nymph.
Name Census estimates that about 1,759 living Americans carry the first name Nyssa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nyssa today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nyssa births was 2003 (110 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nyssa. 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
1.8K
~ 1 in 194,857 Americans
Peak year
2003
110 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,792
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Nyssa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nyssa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 577 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nyssa 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 Nyssa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nyssas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Nyssa, while Oregon, New Jersey, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nyssa
The name Nyssa has its origins in Greek mythology, derived from the name of a nymph associated with trees and vegetation. In ancient Greek, the word "nysē" refers to a beech tree or a walnut tree, suggesting a connection to nature and fertility.
Nyssa was the name of a nymph who was one of the attendants of the goddess Artemis, the protector of the natural world and childbirth. The nymph Nyssa was said to have raised the infant Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, after he was rescued from the wrath of Hera.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nyssa dates back to ancient Greece, where it was likely given to children as a reminder of their connection to the natural world and the deities associated with it. However, the name remained relatively uncommon throughout much of recorded history.
One of the earliest known individuals named Nyssa was a Christian martyr from the 4th century AD. Saint Nyssa, also known as Nyssa of Gaza, was a young woman who was tortured and executed for her religious beliefs during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Nyssa appeared in the form of Nyssa of Meteora, a Greek Orthodox monk who lived in the monastic community of Meteora in central Greece. She is recognized for her contributions to the construction and preservation of the iconic monasteries built atop the towering rock formations in the region.
Another historical figure with the name Nyssa was Nyssa Rapoport, a Russian-born American poet and writer who lived from 1937 to 2021. She was known for her works exploring themes of identity, language, and cultural heritage.
In the realm of literature, the name Nyssa has been used as a character in various works of fiction. One notable example is the character Nyssa from the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who," a companion of the Fourth Doctor who first appeared in the late 1970s.
While not a common name throughout history, Nyssa has maintained a presence in various cultural contexts, often associated with themes of nature, mythology, and artistic expression. Its Greek origins and connections to ancient deities and stories have contributed to its enduring appeal and symbolic significance.
People
Nyssa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nyssa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nyssa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nyssa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,759 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nyssa 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 194,857 US residents.
Is Nyssa a common name?
We classify Nyssa as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,811 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nyssa most popular?
The single biggest year for Nyssa was 2003, when 110 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nyssa is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nyssa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nyssa 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.