Fun Facts About the Name Melissa
- An established favorite: Melissa held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 44 consecutive years, from 1961 through 2004.
- More than 762 thousand babies named Melissa: U.S. records list 762,628 babies given the name Melissa from 1880 through 2025. Even 2,495 boys received the name Melissa - about 1 boy for every 305 girls.
What Does the Name Melissa Mean?
Melissa is a feminine name that comes from ancient Greek. Its source is the Greek word melissa (μέλισσα), meaning "bee." That word is related to meli (μέλι), the Greek word for "honey," which is why the name is commonly glossed as "honeybee" rather than simply "bee." The literal sense is "bee"; "honeybee" and the looser idea of something "honey-sweet" are customary interpretations that grow out of the same link to honey.
The name has no second, independent origin. Its meaning rests entirely on this one Greek word. Greek also used the plural melissai for priestesses of Demeter and for nymphs tied to bees, so the word carried a religious sense alongside its everyday one, but that is background rather than a separate meaning.
Melissa Name History & Origins
The Greek word melissa is old, and bees and honey had a firm place in Greek myth and worship. Priestesses of Demeter were called melissai, and nymphs connected with bees appear in the stories told about the infancy of Zeus. In one tradition, a nymph named Melissa, a daughter of the Cretan king Melisseus, helped feed the infant Zeus with honey. The Roman poet Virgil gave the name to a nymph in the Georgics, his poem about farming and beekeeping.
Melissa passed from Greek into Latin and then into the languages of Europe, appearing in Italian and Spanish as Melissa and in French as Mélissa. The Greek word also gave its name to a group of plants: Melissa is the botanical genus that includes lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), so called because its flowers attract bees.
A well-known literary use comes from Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (1516), where Melissa is a sorceress and prophetess who guides other characters. This is a famous fictional use of a name that was already old; it is not the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Melissa?
Melissa remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1961 to 2004. Its highest annual birth count was in 1979, and people born that year turn 47 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 | #420 | 747 | 0.0465% |
| 2024 | #378 | 825 | 0.0511% |
| 2023 | #410 | 743 | 0.0464% |
| 2022 | #379 | 823 | 0.0502% |
| 2021 | #372 | 836 | 0.0510% |
| 2020 | #349 | 887 | 0.0549% |
| 2019 | #340 | 933 | 0.0556% |
| 2018 | #299 | 1,117 | 0.0657% |
| 2017 | #275 | 1,170 | 0.0678% |
| 2016 | #260 | 1,236 | 0.0698% |
| 2015 | #253 | 1,283 | 0.0719% |
| 2014 | #224 | 1,509 | 0.0845% |
| 2013 | #202 | 1,592 | 0.0907% |
| 2012 | #178 | 1,772 | 0.1006% |
| 2011 | #184 | 1,709 | 0.0972% |
| 2010 | #156 | 1,951 | 0.1098% |
| 2009 | #137 | 2,338 | 0.1273% |
| 2008 | #134 | 2,517 | 0.1331% |
| 2007 | #137 | 2,505 | 0.1303% |
| 2006 | #117 | 2,893 | 0.1522% |
| 2005 | #104 | 3,085 | 0.1670% |
| 2004 | #98 | 3,338 | 0.1818% |
| 2003 | #96 | 3,502 | 0.1917% |
| 2002 | #80 | 3,769 | 0.2098% |
| 2001 | #74 | 4,145 | 0.2302% |
| 2000 | #71 | 4,532 | 0.2496% |
| 1999 | #64 | 4,830 | 0.2723% |
| 1998 | #59 | 5,354 | 0.3030% |
| 1997 | #44 | 6,679 | 0.3837% |
| 1996 | #42 | 7,170 | 0.4090% |
| 1995 | #35 | 7,878 | 0.4480% |
| 1994 | #31 | 8,796 | 0.4926% |
| 1993 | #30 | 10,224 | 0.5652% |
| 1992 | #24 | 11,710 | 0.6351% |
| 1991 | #20 | 13,348 | 0.7119% |
| 1990 | #20 | 14,000 | 0.7374% |
| 1989 | #19 | 15,204 | 0.8247% |
| 1988 | #16 | 16,545 | 0.9291% |
| 1987 | #13 | 17,674 | 1.0166% |
| 1986 | #12 | 17,667 | 1.0298% |
| 1985 | #11 | 19,963 | 1.1601% |
| 1984 | #8 | 21,897 | 1.3004% |
| 1983 | #6 | 23,474 | 1.4051% |
| 1982 | #5 | 25,866 | 1.5275% |
| 1981 | #5 | 28,005 | 1.6789% |
| 1980 | #4 | 31,634 | 1.9052% |
| 1979 | #2 | 34,050 | 2.1211% |
| 1978 | #2 | 28,327 | 1.8492% |
| 1977 | #2 | 26,880 | 1.7532% |
| 1976 | #3 | 25,094 | 1.7127% |
| 1975 | #4 | 24,167 | 1.6576% |
| 1974 | #7 | 22,166 | 1.5104% |
| 1973 | #6 | 22,480 | 1.5416% |
| 1972 | #7 | 22,494 | 1.4787% |
| 1971 | #7 | 23,876 | 1.4350% |
| 1970 | #7 | 23,734 | 1.3577% |
| 1969 | #5 | 23,019 | 1.3645% |
| 1968 | #5 | 21,731 | 1.3248% |
| 1967 | #9 | 18,377 | 1.1131% |
| 1966 | #22 | 14,253 | 0.8423% |
| 1965 | #38 | 10,564 | 0.5985% |
| 1964 | #53 | 8,318 | 0.4390% |
| 1963 | #61 | 7,319 | 0.3797% |
| 1962 | #68 | 6,308 | 0.3208% |
| 1961 | #95 | 4,901 | 0.2428% |
| 1960 | #109 | 4,412 | 0.2182% |
| 1959 | #127 | 3,627 | 0.1792% |
| 1958 | #130 | 3,323 | 0.1652% |
| 1957 | #147 | 2,780 | 0.1360% |
| 1956 | #150 | 2,527 | 0.1259% |
| 1955 | #149 | 2,416 | 0.1236% |
| 1954 | #170 | 2,062 | 0.1062% |
| 1953 | #163 | 2,007 | 0.1067% |
| 1952 | #201 | 1,442 | 0.0778% |
| 1951 | #229 | 1,129 | 0.0627% |
| 1950 | #240 | 980 | 0.0572% |
| 1949 | #276 | 779 | 0.0455% |
| 1948 | #318 | 600 | 0.0353% |
| 1947 | #460 | 319 | 0.0180% |
| 1946 | #567 | 198 | 0.0126% |
| 1945 | #532 | 186 | 0.0142% |
| 1944 | #542 | 177 | 0.0133% |
| 1943 | #548 | 189 | 0.0135% |
| 1942 | #599 | 154 | 0.0114% |
| 1941 | #594 | 141 | 0.0117% |
| 1940 | #716 | 95 | 0.0083% |
| 1939 | #631 | 116 | 0.0106% |
| 1938 | #754 | 85 | 0.0077% |
| 1937 | #718 | 90 | 0.0085% |
| 1936 | #919 | 56 | 0.0054% |
| 1935 | #872 | 63 | 0.0060% |
| 1934 | #1,071 | 43 | 0.0041% |
| 1933 | #968 | 51 | 0.0051% |
| 1932 | #896 | 62 | 0.0058% |
| 1931 | #1,087 | 43 | 0.0040% |
| 1930 | #976 | 57 | 0.0051% |
| 1929 | #1,148 | 42 | 0.0038% |
| 1928 | #1,174 | 43 | 0.0037% |
| 1927 | #1,170 | 44 | 0.0037% |
| 1926 | #1,126 | 46 | 0.0039% |
| 1925 | #1,017 | 55 | 0.0045% |
| 1924 | #1,075 | 53 | 0.0042% |
| 1923 | #1,082 | 50 | 0.0041% |
| 1922 | #889 | 68 | 0.0057% |
| 1921 | #917 | 66 | 0.0054% |
| 1920 | #956 | 59 | 0.0049% |
| 1919 | #1,034 | 49 | 0.0043% |
| 1918 | #909 | 63 | 0.0054% |
| 1917 | #950 | 54 | 0.0050% |
| 1916 | #854 | 64 | 0.0061% |
| 1915 | #805 | 67 | 0.0068% |
| 1914 | #814 | 52 | 0.0068% |
| 1913 | #772 | 47 | 0.0075% |
| 1912 | #776 | 42 | 0.0075% |
| 1911 | #785 | 31 | 0.0074% |
| 1910 | #614 | 47 | 0.0119% |
| 1909 | #702 | 33 | 0.0095% |
| 1908 | #753 | 27 | 0.0081% |
| 1907 | #611 | 38 | 0.0119% |
| 1906 | #787 | 22 | 0.0075% |
| 1905 | #650 | 30 | 0.0103% |
| 1904 | #719 | 24 | 0.0087% |
| 1903 | #553 | 35 | 0.0134% |
| 1902 | #505 | 40 | 0.0151% |
| 1901 | #527 | 34 | 0.0142% |
| 1900 | #536 | 40 | 0.0133% |
| 1899 | #427 | 47 | 0.0202% |
| 1898 | #539 | 35 | 0.0135% |
| 1897 | #495 | 35 | 0.0149% |
| 1896 | #562 | 30 | 0.0126% |
| 1895 | #448 | 41 | 0.0175% |
| 1894 | #392 | 52 | 0.0233% |
| 1893 | #372 | 53 | 0.0249% |
| 1892 | #469 | 34 | 0.0160% |
| 1891 | #474 | 30 | 0.0162% |
| 1890 | #390 | 42 | 0.0221% |
| 1889 | #355 | 46 | 0.0258% |
| 1888 | #384 | 40 | 0.0224% |
| 1887 | #370 | 34 | 0.0233% |
| 1886 | #274 | 58 | 0.0401% |
| 1885 | #299 | 45 | 0.0338% |
| 1884 | #279 | 48 | 0.0372% |
| 1883 | #276 | 42 | 0.0374% |
| 1882 | #276 | 41 | 0.0380% |
| 1881 | #256 | 40 | 0.0435% |
| 1880 | #274 | 33 | 0.0363% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #13,380 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #10,646 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #11,868 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,351 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #6,949 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #9,602 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,356 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,187 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #5,902 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #7,940 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #4,101 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #3,802 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #3,545 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #4,320 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #3,268 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #2,913 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1993 | #2,381 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1992 | #2,027 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1991 | #2,583 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1990 | #1,680 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 1989 | #1,226 | 77 | 0.0038% |
| 1988 | #1,185 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 1987 | #1,120 | 74 | 0.0040% |
| 1986 | #1,013 | 84 | 0.0046% |
| 1985 | #994 | 85 | 0.0046% |
| 1984 | #980 | 83 | 0.0046% |
| 1983 | #874 | 101 | 0.0056% |
| 1982 | #851 | 109 | 0.0060% |
| 1981 | #911 | 97 | 0.0054% |
| 1980 | #747 | 138 | 0.0077% |
| 1979 | #764 | 129 | 0.0075% |
| 1978 | #857 | 101 | 0.0062% |
| 1977 | #891 | 92 | 0.0056% |
| 1976 | #887 | 88 | 0.0056% |
| 1975 | #869 | 92 | 0.0059% |
| 1974 | #867 | 86 | 0.0055% |
| 1973 | #921 | 77 | 0.0049% |
| 1972 | #883 | 84 | 0.0052% |
| 1971 | #946 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 1970 | #964 | 70 | 0.0038% |
| 1969 | #918 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 1968 | #936 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 1967 | #1,145 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 1966 | #1,254 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1965 | #1,545 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1964 | #1,952 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1963 | #1,618 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1962 | #2,784 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #3,032 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,010 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #2,620 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #2,598 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #2,906 | 9 | 0.0004% |
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.
