Melissa

Melissa: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “bee”
Origin: Greek
Say it: mə-LISS-ə · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Greek melissa 'bee'. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph name associated with honey and bees.

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How popular is Melissa?

2024248 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 Melissa in 2024825

2024 rank#376 girls

Peak year1979

Total US babies since 1880761,881

Melissa is fading: recent use is about 53% of its level ten years before.

Names like Melissa

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Melisabee · Greek
Malissabee · Greek
Mellissabee · Greek
Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek

Melissa questions

What does the name Melissa mean?

Melissa means "bee". It comes from Greek. From Greek melissa 'bee'. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph name associated with honey and bees.

Is Melissa a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Melissa?

825 US babies were named Melissa in 2024. Its peak year was 1979.

How do you pronounce Melissa?

Melissa is usually pronounced mə-LISS-ə.

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.