# Alyssa (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/alyssa/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “a plant of the genus alyssum” |
| Pronunciation | /əˈlɪs.ə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Aly |
| Variant spellings | Allyssa |
| US babies named this | 315,038 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 432 / 314,606 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 6,744, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A 20th-century invention. Possible origins: * From alyss(um) (“a plant of the genus Alyssum”) + -a. * From Alicia, of Germanic origin. * From Elissa.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6,029 | 37 |
| 2012 | 5,091 | 44 |
| 2013 | 4,214 | 57 |
| 2014 | 3,849 | 76 |
| 2015 | 3,255 | 93 |
| 2016 | 2,680 | 119 |
| 2017 | 2,241 | 133 |
| 2018 | 1,884 | 150 |
| 2019 | 1,699 | 171 |
| 2020 | 1,472 | 199 |
| 2021 | 1,301 | 233 |
| 2022 | 1,099 | 288 |
| 2023 | 930 | 334 |
| 2024 | 795 | 399 |
| 2025 | 680 | 453 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 14 | 4,772 |
| 2000 | 15 | 4,794 |
| 2001 | 13 | 5,401 |
| 2002 | 19 | 4,191 |
| 2003 | 10 | 6,742 |
| 2004 | 45 | 2,455 |
| 2005 | 17 | 4,829 |
| 2006 | 9 | 8,021 |
| 2007 | 17 | 5,218 |
| 2008 | 14 | 6,086 |
| 2009 | 7 | 9,910 |
| 2010 | 7 | 9,733 |
| 2011 | 5 | 12,376 |
| 2013 | 5 | 12,229 |
| 2014 | 8 | 8,826 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 326 | 160 |
| 2012 | 322 | 161 |
| 2013 | 321 | 161 |
| 2014 | 283 | 188 |
| 2015 | 291 | 190 |
| 2016 | 268 | 198 |
| 2017 | 208 | 242 |
| 2018 | 218 | 229 |
| 2019 | 189 | 255 |
| 2020 | 231 | 213 |
| 2021 | 240 | 211 |
| 2022 | 211 | 224 |
| 2023 | 188 | 241 |
| 2024 | 158 | 285 |
| 2025 | 133 | 325 |

## People named Alyssa

- Alyssa Milano, American actress (born 1972)
- Alyssa Diaz, American film and television actress (born 1985)
- Alyssa Naeher, American soccer player
- Alyssa Sutherland, Australian actress and model
- Alyssa Thomas, American basketball player (born 1992)
- Alyssa Campanella, American model
- Alyssa Carson, American space enthusiast
- Alyssa Miller, American model
- Alyssa Thompson, American association football player (born 2004)
- Alyssa Healy, Australian cricketer
- Alyssa Anderson, American swimmer
- Alyssa Nicole Pallett, Canadian actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.