# Melissa (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/melissa/  
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 | Greek |
| Meaning | “bee”, “honey”, “honeybee”, “servant of jesus” |
| Pronunciation | /məˈlɪsə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Missy, Misty, Mellie |
| Variant spellings | Mellissa |
| US babies named this | 762,623 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,495 / 760,128 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 13,316, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee, honey, or honeybee”). In Ireland it is sometimes used as a feminine form of the Gaelic male name Maol Íosa (literally “servant of Jesus”).

## What it means

Melissa is grouped under honey.

## 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 | 1,709 | 184 |
| 2012 | 1,772 | 178 |
| 2013 | 1,592 | 202 |
| 2014 | 1,509 | 224 |
| 2015 | 1,283 | 253 |
| 2016 | 1,236 | 260 |
| 2017 | 1,170 | 275 |
| 2018 | 1,117 | 299 |
| 2019 | 933 | 340 |
| 2020 | 887 | 349 |
| 2021 | 836 | 372 |
| 2022 | 823 | 379 |
| 2023 | 744 | 411 |
| 2024 | 826 | 379 |
| 2025 | 747 | 420 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 21 | 3,268 |
| 1996 | 15 | 4,320 |
| 1997 | 20 | 3,545 |
| 1998 | 19 | 3,802 |
| 1999 | 18 | 4,101 |
| 2000 | 8 | 7,941 |
| 2001 | 12 | 5,902 |
| 2002 | 8 | 8,189 |
| 2003 | 8 | 8,357 |
| 2004 | 7 | 9,602 |
| 2005 | 11 | 6,949 |
| 2006 | 5 | 13,354 |
| 2007 | 6 | 11,868 |
| 2008 | 7 | 10,646 |
| 2015 | 5 | 13,382 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 260 | 197 |
| 2012 | 266 | 192 |
| 2013 | 219 | 229 |
| 2014 | 232 | 221 |
| 2015 | 230 | 224 |
| 2016 | 239 | 219 |
| 2017 | 224 | 227 |
| 2018 | 229 | 222 |
| 2019 | 173 | 283 |
| 2020 | 197 | 237 |
| 2021 | 188 | 254 |
| 2022 | 171 | 267 |
| 2023 | 189 | 240 |
| 2024 | 160 | 280 |
| 2025 | 136 | 321 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 梅利莎
- Danish: Melissa
- Finnish: Melissa
- French: Mélissa
- German: Melissa
- Greek: Μέλισσα
- Irish: Maolíosa
- Italian: Melissa
- Japanese: メリッサ
- Korean: 멜리사
- Latin: Melissa
- Portuguese: Melissa
- Russian: Мелисса
- Swedish: Melissa
- Turkish: Melisa

## People named Melissa

- Melissa Leo, American actress
- Melissa Joan Hart, American actress
- Melissa Benoist, American actress and singer
- Melissa Rauch, American actress
- Melissa George, Australian actress
- Melissa McBride, American actress
- Melissa Gilbert, American actress
- Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter
- Melissa Fumero, American actress
- Melissa Sue Anderson, actress
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, American athlete
- Melissa Hortman, American lawyer and politician (1970–2025)

## 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.