Melissa

Meaning: Bee
Origin: Greek — From mélissa

Meaning: “Servant of Jesus” (in Irish use)
Origin: Irish Gaelic — In Ireland sometimes used as a feminine form of Maol Íosa

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) · #45 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) · #89 in Sweden (2025) · #115 in Austria (2025) · #132 in Switzerland (2025) · #177 in Ireland (2025) · #198 in Poland (2025) · #269 in Norway (2025) · #286 in Belgium (2025) · #322 in England & Wales (2025) · #394 in Ecuador (2025) · #435 in France (2025) and 3 more.

Famous Melissas

Melissa McCarthy — American actress and comedian
Melissa Leo — American actress
Melissa Joan Hart — American actress
Melissa Benoist — American actress and singer
Melissa Rauch — American actress, model, and comedian

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 athlete.

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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