Fun Facts About the Name Alyssa
- An established favorite: Alyssa held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 30 consecutive years, from 1986 through 2015.
- More than 315 thousand babies named Alyssa: U.S. records list 315,024 babies given the name Alyssa from 1880 through 2025. Even 432 boys received the name Alyssa - about 1 boy for every 728 girls.
What Does the Name Alyssa Mean?
Alyssa is generally explained in one of two ways. The first connects it to the Greek plant name alysson (Latin alysson, English alyssum), formed from the Greek prefix a-, "not," and lyssa, "madness" or "rage." Ancient tradition credited the plant with curing madness, particularly the madness of a rabid dog bite, so the literal sense is "without madness" or "that which cures madness." The second explanation treats Alyssa as a variant of Alice, from the Germanic Adalheidis, "noble kind" or "noble type." The two derivations are not mutually exclusive in practice: the modern name matches the sound of Alice and its older English spellings such as Alys, while its shape also matches the plant word. The Alice link, however, is a matter of similarity and traditional association rather than a documented line of descent.
Alyssa Name History & Origins
Alyssum was a familiar plant in the ancient Mediterranean world, valued in folk medicine and described by Greek and Roman writers under the name alysson. That word passed into Latin and later into English as alyssum, the name still used for the garden flower. Medieval England used Alys and Alyce as everyday forms of Alice, but these spellings and the modern name Alyssa belong to different stages of English naming.
Alyssa as a given name is a modern English formation, appearing alongside spellings such as Alissa and Elissa. Its use grew during the twentieth century in the United States and other English-speaking countries, helped by the general fashion for names ending in -issa and -yssa. The name should not be assumed to share an origin with similar-sounding names such as Melissa or Alicia, which have separate histories.
How Popular is the Name Alyssa?
Alyssa remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1986 to 2015. Its highest annual birth count was in 1999, and people born that year turn 27 in 2026.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #453 | 680 | 0.0423% |
| 2024 | #399 | 793 | 0.0492% |
| 2023 | #334 | 929 | 0.0580% |
| 2022 | #288 | 1,098 | 0.0670% |
| 2021 | #233 | 1,301 | 0.0793% |
| 2020 | #199 | 1,471 | 0.0911% |
| 2019 | #170 | 1,699 | 0.1013% |
| 2018 | #150 | 1,881 | 0.1106% |
| 2017 | #133 | 2,241 | 0.1298% |
| 2016 | #119 | 2,680 | 0.1513% |
| 2015 | #93 | 3,255 | 0.1824% |
| 2014 | #76 | 3,846 | 0.2153% |
| 2013 | #57 | 4,212 | 0.2401% |
| 2012 | #44 | 5,090 | 0.2891% |
| 2011 | #37 | 6,029 | 0.3428% |
| 2010 | #21 | 6,993 | 0.3935% |
| 2009 | #19 | 7,979 | 0.4344% |
| 2008 | #16 | 9,652 | 0.5105% |
| 2007 | #14 | 11,275 | 0.5865% |
| 2006 | #19 | 10,177 | 0.5353% |
| 2005 | #16 | 10,891 | 0.5894% |
| 2004 | #14 | 12,109 | 0.6595% |
| 2003 | #14 | 12,750 | 0.6978% |
| 2002 | #12 | 12,847 | 0.7150% |
| 2001 | #14 | 13,272 | 0.7371% |
| 2000 | #12 | 13,553 | 0.7463% |
| 1999 | #11 | 14,036 | 0.7913% |
| 1998 | #11 | 13,709 | 0.7759% |
| 1997 | #15 | 12,649 | 0.7267% |
| 1996 | #23 | 11,024 | 0.6289% |
| 1995 | #27 | 10,100 | 0.5743% |
| 1994 | #26 | 10,602 | 0.5937% |
| 1993 | #26 | 11,030 | 0.6097% |
| 1992 | #30 | 10,163 | 0.5512% |
| 1991 | #30 | 10,678 | 0.5695% |
| 1990 | #27 | 11,263 | 0.5933% |
| 1989 | #33 | 9,043 | 0.4905% |
| 1988 | #47 | 7,134 | 0.4006% |
| 1987 | #60 | 5,136 | 0.2954% |
| 1986 | #85 | 3,225 | 0.1880% |
| 1985 | #130 | 2,258 | 0.1312% |
| 1984 | #180 | 1,538 | 0.0913% |
| 1983 | #209 | 1,201 | 0.0719% |
| 1982 | #230 | 1,109 | 0.0655% |
| 1981 | #228 | 1,128 | 0.0676% |
| 1980 | #217 | 1,180 | 0.0711% |
| 1979 | #223 | 1,174 | 0.0731% |
| 1978 | #290 | 801 | 0.0523% |
| 1977 | #315 | 759 | 0.0495% |
| 1976 | #327 | 681 | 0.0465% |
| 1975 | #372 | 559 | 0.0383% |
| 1974 | #419 | 467 | 0.0318% |
| 1973 | #433 | 449 | 0.0308% |
| 1972 | #505 | 344 | 0.0226% |
| 1971 | #479 | 402 | 0.0242% |
| 1970 | #467 | 444 | 0.0254% |
| 1969 | #499 | 380 | 0.0225% |
| 1968 | #687 | 199 | 0.0121% |
| 1967 | #846 | 143 | 0.0087% |
| 1966 | #857 | 137 | 0.0081% |
| 1965 | #933 | 119 | 0.0067% |
| 1964 | #977 | 118 | 0.0062% |
| 1963 | #947 | 124 | 0.0064% |
| 1962 | #1,184 | 86 | 0.0044% |
| 1961 | #1,184 | 87 | 0.0043% |
| 1960 | #1,020 | 111 | 0.0055% |
| 1959 | #1,880 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1958 | #2,583 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1957 | #3,316 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #3,328 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #4,667 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #5,057 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #5,319 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #8,826 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #12,228 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #12,374 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #9,730 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,910 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #6,085 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #5,216 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #8,021 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #4,827 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #2,454 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2003 | #6,741 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #4,191 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #5,401 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #4,793 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #4,772 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #6,342 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #3,605 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #5,548 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #4,800 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #6,403 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #3,248 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1992 | #4,886 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #3,643 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #3,615 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #2,247 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #2,601 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #3,075 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1986 | #4,142 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,812 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #3,712 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #6,288 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,382 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Alyssa
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Alyssa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Alyssa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Alyssa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.