Melissa

Did you know?

A few things about Melissa you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Melissa

Melissa Leo

American actress

Choose Melissa and your child shares a first name with Melissa Leo, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Melissa, like who?” Melissa Leo's Wikipedia article is available in 61 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Melissa Leo on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: sagindie from Hollywood, USA, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,151 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Melissa, 747 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Melissa would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMelissa has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Melissas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1979, when it ranked #2. Today it's #419, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowMelissa was 5.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 401 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 2,151.
• 🍂TrendMelissa has slipped 70 places over the last five years and now sits at #419. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedMelissa is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #183, followed by California (#207) and Nevada (#214). It's in the top 1,000 in 32 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Melissa means “honeybee”. Our records link it to English and Greek roots.

About the name Melissa

Melissa is a girl name of English and Greek origin meaning “honeybee”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-ssa”. US birth records list Melissa for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked #2 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #419, with 747 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names