Melissa
Girl · me-LIS-a · Greek
Melissa is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “honeybee”. In 2025 it ranked 338th for girls in the UK (142 babies) and 419th for girls in the US (747 babies).
What does Melissa mean?
Greek
“honeybee”
In Greek myth, the nymph Melissa helped nurse the infant Zeus with honey.
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More on Wiktionary.
Is Melissa a girl's or a boy's name?
Melissa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 142 girls in the UK and 747 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Melissa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #338among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 142about 1 in 2,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 142 girls in the UK were named Melissa, making it the 338th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 246th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 1,462 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Melissa since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Melissa in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 189 girls in the UK were given Melissa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #273, up from #338 for this spelling alone.
- Melissa 142
- Melisa 47
Among girls in 2025, it was 321st in England and Wales and 474th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#62), 1994 (#41) and 2004 (#84).
Melissa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 142 | #338 |
| 2024 | 165 | #297 |
| 2023 | 202 | #250 |
| 2022 | 187 | #271 |
| 2021 | 201 | #259 |
| 2020 | 208 | #246 |
| 2019 | 187 | #290 |
| 2018 | 248 | #227 |
| 2017 | 248 | #228 |
| 2016 | 264 | #217 |
| 2015 | 257 | #230 |
| 2014 | 263 | #225 |
| 2013 | 259 | #215 |
| 2012 | 313 | #184 |
| 2011 | 317 | #181 |
| 2010 | 407 | #148 |
| 2009 | 484 | #125 |
| 2008 | 496 | #121 |
| 2007 | 498 | #125 |
| 2006 | 581 | #101 |
| 2005 | 596 | #98 |
| 2004 | 726 | #79 |
| 2003 | 723 | #79 |
| 2002 | 742 | #79 |
| 2001 | 847 | #68 |
| 2000 | 883 | #62 |
| 1999 | 1,025 | #55 |
| 1998 | 1,178 | #52 |
| 1997 | 1,424 | #46 |
| 1996 | 1,462 | #47 |
How popular is Melissa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #419among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 747about 1 in 2,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 747 girls in the US were named Melissa, making it the 419th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 349th. Its busiest year was 1979, with 34,050 girls.
Half of all the girls named Melissa in the US since 1880 were born between 1971 and 1987, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 804 girls in the US were given Melissa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #413, up from #419 for this spelling alone.
- Melissa 747
- Melisa 57
Melissa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 747 | #419 |
| 2024 | 826 | #379 |
| 2023 | 744 | #411 |
| 2022 | 823 | #379 |
| 2021 | 836 | #372 |
| 2020 | 887 | #349 |
| 2019 | 933 | #340 |
| 2018 | 1,117 | #299 |
| 2017 | 1,170 | #274 |
| 2016 | 1,236 | #260 |
| 2015 | 1,283 | #253 |
| 2014 | 1,509 | #224 |
| 2013 | 1,592 | #202 |
| 2012 | 1,772 | #178 |
| 2011 | 1,709 | #184 |
| 2010 | 1,951 | #156 |
| 2009 | 2,338 | #137 |
| 2008 | 2,517 | #134 |
| 2007 | 2,505 | #137 |
| 2006 | 2,893 | #117 |
| 2005 | 3,085 | #104 |
| 2004 | 3,339 | #98 |
| 2003 | 3,502 | #96 |
| 2002 | 3,769 | #80 |
| 2001 | 4,145 | #74 |
| 2000 | 4,532 | #71 |
| 1999 | 4,830 | #64 |
| 1998 | 5,354 | #59 |
| 1997 | 6,679 | #44 |
| 1996 | 7,170 | #42 |
| 1995 | 7,879 | #35 |
| 1994 | 8,795 | #31 |
| 1993 | 10,225 | #30 |
| 1992 | 11,710 | #24 |
| 1991 | 13,348 | #20 |
| 1990 | 14,000 | #20 |
| 1989 | 15,203 | #19 |
| 1988 | 16,546 | #16 |
| 1987 | 17,674 | #13 |
| 1986 | 17,667 | #12 |
| 1985 | 19,963 | #11 |
| 1984 | 21,896 | #8 |
| 1983 | 23,475 | #6 |
| 1982 | 25,864 | #5 |
| 1981 | 28,005 | #5 |
| 1980 | 31,629 | #4 |
| 1979 | 34,050 | #2 |
| 1978 | 28,327 | #2 |
| 1977 | 26,879 | #2 |
| 1976 | 25,094 | #3 |
| 1975 | 24,168 | #4 |
| 1974 | 22,166 | #7 |
| 1973 | 22,479 | #6 |
| 1972 | 22,494 | #7 |
| 1971 | 23,875 | #7 |
| 1970 | 23,735 | #7 |
| 1969 | 23,018 | #5 |
| 1968 | 21,733 | #5 |
| 1967 | 18,377 | #9 |
| 1966 | 14,254 | #22 |
| 1965 | 10,563 | #38 |
| 1964 | 8,318 | #53 |
| 1963 | 7,321 | #61 |
| 1962 | 6,306 | #68 |
| 1961 | 4,900 | #95 |
| 1960 | 4,412 | #109 |
| 1959 | 3,627 | #127 |
| 1958 | 3,323 | #130 |
| 1957 | 2,780 | #147 |
| 1956 | 2,527 | #150 |
| 1955 | 2,416 | #149 |
| 1954 | 2,062 | #170 |
| 1953 | 2,007 | #163 |
| 1952 | 1,442 | #201 |
| 1951 | 1,129 | #229 |
| 1950 | 980 | #240 |
| 1949 | 778 | #276 |
| 1948 | 600 | #317 |
| 1947 | 319 | #460 |
| 1946 | 198 | #566 |
| 1945 | 186 | #532 |
| 1944 | 177 | #542 |
| 1943 | 189 | #545 |
| 1942 | 154 | #599 |
| 1941 | 141 | #592 |
| 1940 | 95 | #714 |
| 1939 | 116 | #628 |
| 1938 | 85 | #749 |
| 1937 | 90 | #717 |
| 1936 | 56 | #909 |
| 1935 | 63 | #866 |
| 1934 | 43 | #1,062 |
| 1933 | 51 | #957 |
| 1932 | 62 | #891 |
| 1931 | 43 | #1,074 |
| 1930 | 57 | #971 |
| 1929 | 42 | #1,137 |
| 1928 | 43 | #1,163 |
| 1927 | 44 | #1,161 |
| 1926 | 46 | #1,115 |
| 1925 | 55 | #1,008 |
| 1924 | 53 | #1,069 |
| 1923 | 50 | #1,076 |
| 1922 | 68 | #888 |
| 1921 | 66 | #914 |
| 1920 | 59 | #949 |
| 1919 | 49 | #1,026 |
| 1918 | 63 | #900 |
| 1917 | 54 | #945 |
| 1916 | 64 | #848 |
| 1915 | 67 | #802 |
| 1914 | 52 | #802 |
| 1913 | 47 | #767 |
| 1912 | 42 | #770 |
| 1911 | 31 | #777 |
| 1910 | 47 | #610 |
| 1909 | 33 | #691 |
| 1908 | 27 | #742 |
| 1907 | 38 | #601 |
| 1906 | 22 | #776 |
| 1905 | 30 | #642 |
| 1904 | 24 | #710 |
| 1903 | 35 | #549 |
| 1902 | 40 | #502 |
| 1901 | 34 | #520 |
| 1900 | 40 | #531 |
| 1899 | 47 | #424 |
| 1898 | 35 | #527 |
| 1897 | 35 | #491 |
| 1896 | 30 | #553 |
| 1895 | 41 | #440 |
| 1894 | 52 | #390 |
| 1893 | 53 | #370 |
| 1892 | 34 | #465 |
| 1891 | 30 | #471 |
| 1890 | 42 | #384 |
| 1889 | 46 | #353 |
| 1888 | 40 | #380 |
| 1887 | 34 | #367 |
| 1886 | 58 | #274 |
| 1885 | 45 | #296 |
| 1884 | 48 | #277 |
| 1883 | 42 | #274 |
| 1882 | 41 | #271 |
| 1881 | 40 | #251 |
| 1880 | 33 | #271 |
Nicknames for Melissa
Names like Melissa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jessica Alexandra Francesca Georgina Rebecca Molly Victoria Lydia Lara Zoe Holly Emily
Other spellings of Melissa
Names related to Melissa
More Greek names
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