Elissa
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- e-LISS-a
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,512 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,844 for girls
Elissa is a girls' name of Greek origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,512th for girls in the UK (21 babies) and 1,844th for girls in the US (108 babies).
What does Elissa mean?
Greek: probably Phoenician, via Greek and Latin; also used as a form of Elizabeth
Elissa is another name for Dido, the legendary founder and queen of Carthage in Virgil's Aeneid.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Elissa a girl's or a boy's name?
Elissa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 21 girls in the UK and 108 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Elissa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,512among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 21about 1 in 13,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 43% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 21 girls in the UK were named Elissa, making it the 1,512th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 730th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 120 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 6 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Elissa than any year since 1997.
Half of all the girls named Elissa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 31 girls in the UK were given Elissa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,018, up from #1,512 for this spelling alone.
- Elissa 21
- Elyssa 10
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,454th in England and Wales.
Elissa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | #1,512 |
| 2024 | 34 | #1,066 |
| 2023 | 42 | #913 |
| 2022 | 43 | #878 |
| 2021 | 48 | #825 |
| 2020 | 55 | #730 |
| 2019 | 59 | #718 |
| 2018 | 55 | #774 |
| 2017 | 72 | #634 |
| 2016 | 81 | #569 |
| 2015 | 77 | #607 |
| 2014 | 93 | #508 |
| 2013 | 95 | #491 |
| 2012 | 120 | #422 |
| 2011 | 97 | #482 |
| 2010 | 81 | #545 |
| 2009 | 96 | #472 |
| 2008 | 76 | #549 |
| 2007 | 77 | #538 |
| 2006 | 77 | #528 |
| 2005 | 60 | #607 |
| 2004 | 69 | #516 |
| 2003 | 66 | #529 |
| 2002 | 65 | #509 |
| 2001 | 45 | #642 |
| 2000 | 50 | #598 |
| 1999 | 38 | #693 |
| 1998 | 22 | #1,049 |
| 1997 | 21 | #1,053 |
| 1996 | 25 | #905 |
How popular is Elissa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,844among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 108about 1 in 15,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 108 girls in the US were named Elissa, making it the 1,844th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,343rd. Its busiest year was 1979, with 408 girls. It first appears in the records in 1914.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Elissa than any year since 1965.
Half of all the girls named Elissa in the US since 1880 were born between 1973 and 2003, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 147 girls in the US were given Elissa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,291, up from #1,844 for this spelling alone.
Elissa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 108 | #1,844 |
| 2024 | 140 | #1,529 |
| 2023 | 150 | #1,465 |
| 2022 | 160 | #1,415 |
| 2021 | 164 | #1,347 |
| 2020 | 164 | #1,343 |
| 2019 | 213 | #1,133 |
| 2018 | 183 | #1,262 |
| 2017 | 166 | #1,387 |
| 2016 | 166 | #1,403 |
| 2015 | 169 | #1,394 |
| 2014 | 242 | #1,063 |
| 2013 | 235 | #1,056 |
| 2012 | 298 | #887 |
| 2011 | 224 | #1,096 |
| 2010 | 219 | #1,122 |
| 2009 | 206 | #1,211 |
| 2008 | 247 | #1,057 |
| 2007 | 224 | #1,145 |
| 2006 | 248 | #1,033 |
| 2005 | 274 | #910 |
| 2004 | 279 | #881 |
| 2003 | 284 | #851 |
| 2002 | 299 | #787 |
| 2001 | 302 | #784 |
| 2000 | 290 | #792 |
| 1999 | 305 | #736 |
| 1998 | 311 | #711 |
| 1997 | 300 | #717 |
| 1996 | 269 | #779 |
| 1995 | 290 | #713 |
| 1994 | 247 | #811 |
| 1993 | 272 | #759 |
| 1992 | 292 | #726 |
| 1991 | 300 | #705 |
| 1990 | 279 | #743 |
| 1989 | 339 | #623 |
| 1988 | 258 | #725 |
| 1987 | 302 | #632 |
| 1986 | 340 | #572 |
| 1985 | 302 | #622 |
| 1984 | 315 | #580 |
| 1983 | 348 | #539 |
| 1982 | 364 | #535 |
| 1981 | 352 | #534 |
| 1980 | 357 | #529 |
| 1979 | 408 | #496 |
| 1978 | 279 | #612 |
| 1977 | 271 | #618 |
| 1976 | 216 | #684 |
| 1975 | 216 | #692 |
| 1974 | 175 | #782 |
| 1973 | 226 | #658 |
| 1972 | 201 | #712 |
| 1971 | 215 | #709 |
| 1970 | 258 | #637 |
| 1969 | 177 | #757 |
| 1968 | 170 | #762 |
| 1967 | 155 | #802 |
| 1966 | 115 | #949 |
| 1965 | 103 | #1,025 |
| 1964 | 131 | #912 |
| 1963 | 165 | #808 |
| 1962 | 112 | #1,014 |
| 1961 | 119 | #993 |
| 1960 | 105 | #1,046 |
| 1959 | 122 | #949 |
| 1958 | 110 | #987 |
| 1957 | 94 | #1,071 |
| 1956 | 109 | #964 |
| 1955 | 144 | #803 |
| 1954 | 166 | #717 |
| 1953 | 167 | #707 |
| 1952 | 172 | #677 |
| 1951 | 113 | #839 |
| 1950 | 86 | #977 |
| 1949 | 119 | #790 |
| 1948 | 109 | #836 |
| 1947 | 88 | #941 |
| 1946 | 73 | #978 |
| 1945 | 55 | #1,048 |
| 1944 | 51 | #1,089 |
| 1943 | 63 | #996 |
| 1942 | 41 | #1,249 |
| 1941 | 42 | #1,151 |
| 1940 | 35 | #1,242 |
| 1939 | 42 | #1,102 |
| 1938 | 40 | #1,140 |
| 1937 | 37 | #1,180 |
| 1936 | 44 | #1,053 |
| 1935 | 61 | #884 |
| 1934 | 50 | #973 |
| 1933 | 54 | #923 |
| 1932 | 29 | #1,382 |
| 1931 | 14 | #2,204 |
| 1930 | 7 | #3,656 |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 5 | #4,723 |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 6 | #4,432 |
| 1923 | 8 | #3,640 |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 7 | #4,021 |
| 1920 | 11 | #2,899 |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 13 | #2,518 |
| 1917 | 6 | #4,081 |
| 1916 | 14 | #2,246 |
| 1915 | 7 | #3,433 |
| 1914 | 6 | #3,187 |
Nicknames for Elissa
Names like Elissa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Elena Athena Fatima Lara Jessica Alexandra Mia Tabitha Francesca Melissa Sophia Elina
Other spellings of Elissa
Names related to Elissa
More Greek names
Luca Theodore George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe Iris
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Elissa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/elissa, updated 20 October 2026.