Melissa

Meaning: Bee
Origin: Greek — In Ireland also used as a feminine form of Maol Íosa, servant of Jesus

Nicknames: Mel, Missy, Misty, Mellie

Girl's name · #420 in the US (2025) · Retro

Popularity over time

Melissa's best rank, #2, came in 1977; it has stepped well back to #420 today. Roughly 760,000 girls have been named Melissa since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Melissa is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 34 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Melissa ranks in other countries and regions.

#20 in Mexico (2024) · #42 in Brazil (2025, through 23 Dec 2025, girls and boys combined) · #45 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) · #66 in Italy (2024) · #89 in Sweden (2025) · #115 in Austria (2025) · #132 in Switzerland (2025) · #173 in Ireland (2025) · #198 in Poland (2025) · #269 in Norway (2025) · #281 in Belgium (2025) · #321 in England & Wales (2025) and 13 more.

Famous Melissas

Melissa McCarthy — American actress (born 1970)
Melissa Leo — American actress (born 1960)
Melissa Joan Hart — American actress, director and producer (born 1976)
Melissa Benoist — American actress and singer (born 1988)
Melissa Rauch — American actress (born 1980)
Melissa Gilbert — American actress (born 1964)
Melissa Barrera — Mexican actress, singer-songwriter and producer (born 1990)
Melissa George — Australian actress (born 1976)
Melissa Fumero — American actress (born 1982)
Melissa Etheridge — American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

In stories & tradition

Melissa — Orlando Furioso (book)
Melissa Duck — Baby Looney Tunes (TV series)
Melissa Hastings — Pretty Little Liars (TV series)

What Melissas become

Among 1,597 notable people named Melissa:

Sports figures appear 1.49× more often than among typical names — e.g. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, American sprinter (born 2001).

Similar names: Melisa · Angela · Melanie · Daleyza · Jennifer · Elissa

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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