Melissa

Melissa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning “bee, honey, or honeybee.” In 2024 it was given to 825 girls in the United States.

Melissa at a glance

Gender
Girl name
Origin
Greek
Meaning
“bee, honey, or honeybee”
Pronunciation
/məˈlɪsə/

About the name Melissa

Melissa belongs to the Greek tradition. Its meaning — “bee, honey, or honeybee” — is the sense carried by its Greek roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page.

In the United States, Melissa first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #2 in 1977, and in 2024 825 babies received the name — 759,386 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Melissa in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#2 in 1977
Peak year
1979
Babies named Melissa in 2024
825
Total since 1880
759,386

Similar names

More names from the Greek shelf:

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Melissa mean?

Melissa means “bee, honey, or honeybee” in its Greek roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Melissa a boy or girl name?

Melissa is a girl name. In 2024, 825 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Melissa?

Melissa comes from the Greek tradition.

How popular is the name Melissa?

Melissa first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #2 in 1977, and 825 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Melissa?

Melissa is pronounced /məˈlɪsə/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.