Elyssa

Elyssa: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “wanderer”
Origin: Greek
Say it: uh-LISS-uh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Often treated as a variant of Elissa, the Greek form associated with Dido of Carthage. It is also sometimes used as a spelling variant of Alyssa, though that has a different etymological line.

English names Greek names Classic names Mythological names Modern names

How popular is Elyssa?

202414.7 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Elyssa in 202449

2024 rank#3,231 girls

Peak year1998

Total US babies since 18807,246

Elyssa is fading: recent use is about 39% of its level ten years before.

Names like Elyssa

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Elissawanderer · Greek
Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek

Elyssa questions

What does the name Elyssa mean?

Elyssa means "wanderer". It comes from Greek. Often treated as a variant of Elissa, the Greek form associated with Dido of Carthage. It is also sometimes used as a spelling variant of Alyssa, though that has a different etymological line.

Is Elyssa a boy or girl name?

Elyssa is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Elyssa?

49 US babies were named Elyssa in 2024. Its peak year was 1998.

How do you pronounce Elyssa?

Elyssa is usually pronounced uh-LISS-uh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.