Meaning not yet researched.
Melissa: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 747 in 2025. Its best rank was #2 in 1979.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #2 in 1979; #420 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Melissa in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#420 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1979, at #2.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Melissa: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 747 girls in 2025. Peak: #2 in 1979 · most girls in one year: 34,050 (1979).
In 2025, 747 US girls were named Melissa, making it the 420th most common girls’ name of the year, down 41 places from #379 in 2024. That is 79 fewer than the 826 girls named Melissa in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #2, reached in 1979. That year also had the most girls given the name: 34,050. For comparison, it was #253 in 2015 and #240 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Melissa in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 33 babies with the name. In all, 762,623 US babies have been given the name, 99.6% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1970s, with 254,161 babies named Melissa.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 9,319 US girls were named Melissa; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 1,236. In 2025 that was about 1 in 2,152 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Melissa ranked highest in Massachusetts in 2025, at #188 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Melisa (19,121 babies since 1880), Malissa (8,866 babies since 1880), Missy (5,776 babies since 1880) and Mellissa (5,625 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Meliza, Melessa and Mylissa are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Lisa, Lissa, Mel, Milly and Missy.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in Arabic, Dutch and Norwegian. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Meliza (1,054), Melessa (502), Mylissa (399), Millissa (329), Milisa (312), Melisssa (133), Melesa (130), Melizza (123), Mylisa (106), Milessa (94), Melysa (80), Melisaa (27), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 19 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 30 | #188 | #242 |
| California | 160 | #208 | #132 |
| Nevada | 12 | #226 | #275 |
| Connecticut | 10 | #313 | #386 |
| Arizona | 22 | #326 | #205 |
| Washington | 23 | #326 | #427 |
| Oregon | 11 | #345 | #194 |
| Florida | 51 | #364 | #211 |
| Texas | 91 | #380 | #190 |
| Wisconsin | 13 | #412 | #284 |
| Illinois | 25 | #433 | #178 |
| South Carolina | 12 | #434 | #381 |
| Georgia | 25 | #465 | #318 |
| Colorado | 12 | #484 | #471 |
| New York | 35 | #490 | #249 |
| Minnesota | 11 | #492 | #842 |
| Utah | 8 | #524 | #445 |
| North Carolina | 21 | #529 | #393 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | #548 | #434 |
| Kentucky | 8 | #549 | #414 |
| Iowa | 6 | #553 | — |
| Ohio | 19 | #554 | #489 |
| New Jersey | 14 | #558 | #194 |
| Tennessee | 14 | #559 | #396 |
| Alabama | 9 | #565 | #304 |
| Indiana | 12 | #567 | #334 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | #596 | #349 |
| Arkansas | 5 | #633 | #557 |
| Maryland | 8 | #634 | #557 |
| Michigan | 11 | #722 | #617 |
| Virginia | 10 | #741 | #266 |
| Missouri | 7 | #785 | #660 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 747 | #420 | — | — |
| 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 | #275 | — | — |
| 2016 | 1,236 | #260 | — | — |
| 2015 | 1,283 | #253 | 5 | #13,382 |
| 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 | 7 | #10,646 |
| 2007 | 2,505 | #137 | 6 | #11,868 |
| 2006 | 2,893 | #117 | 5 | #13,354 |
| 2005 | 3,085 | #104 | 11 | #6,949 |
| 2004 | 3,339 | #98 | 7 | #9,602 |
| 2003 | 3,502 | #96 | 8 | #8,357 |
| 2002 | 3,769 | #80 | 8 | #8,189 |
| 2001 | 4,145 | #74 | 12 | #5,902 |
| 2000 | 4,532 | #71 | 8 | #7,941 |
| 1999 | 4,830 | #64 | 18 | #4,101 |
| 1998 | 5,354 | #59 | 19 | #3,802 |
| 1997 | 6,679 | #44 | 20 | #3,545 |
| 1996 | 7,170 | #42 | 15 | #4,320 |
| 1995 | 7,879 | #35 | 21 | #3,268 |
| 1994 | 8,795 | #31 | 25 | #2,913 |
| 1993 | 10,225 | #30 | 32 | #2,381 |
| 1992 | 11,710 | #24 | 39 | #2,027 |
| 1991 | 13,348 | #20 | 27 | #2,583 |
| 1990 | 14,000 | #20 | 49 | #1,680 |
| 1989 | 15,203 | #19 | 77 | #1,226 |
| 1988 | 16,546 | #16 | 73 | #1,185 |
| 1987 | 17,674 | #13 | 74 | #1,120 |
| 1986 | 17,667 | #12 | 84 | #1,014 |
| 1985 | 19,963 | #11 | 85 | #994 |
| 1984 | 21,896 | #8 | 83 | #980 |
| 1983 | 23,475 | #6 | 101 | #875 |
| 1982 | 25,864 | #5 | 109 | #851 |
| 1981 | 28,005 | #5 | 97 | #911 |
| 1980 | 31,629 | #4 | 138 | #747 |
| 1979 | 34,050 | #2 | 129 | #764 |
| 1978 | 28,327 | #2 | 101 | #858 |
| 1977 | 26,879 | #2 | 92 | #891 |
| 1976 | 25,094 | #3 | 88 | #887 |
| 1975 | 24,168 | #4 | 92 | #869 |
| 1974 | 22,166 | #7 | 86 | #866 |
| 1973 | 22,479 | #6 | 77 | #921 |
| 1972 | 22,494 | #7 | 84 | #883 |
| 1971 | 23,875 | #7 | 75 | #946 |
| 1970 | 23,735 | #7 | 70 | #964 |
| 1969 | 23,018 | #5 | 69 | #918 |
| 1968 | 21,733 | #5 | 61 | #936 |
| 1967 | 18,377 | #9 | 43 | #1,145 |
| 1966 | 14,254 | #22 | 37 | #1,254 |
| 1965 | 10,563 | #38 | 26 | #1,546 |
| 1964 | 8,318 | #53 | 18 | #1,951 |
| 1963 | 7,321 | #61 | 25 | #1,617 |
| 1962 | 6,306 | #68 | 10 | #2,787 |
| 1961 | 4,900 | #95 | 9 | #3,030 |
| 1960 | 4,412 | #109 | 9 | #3,009 |
| 1959 | 3,627 | #127 | 11 | #2,619 |
| 1958 | 3,323 | #130 | 11 | #2,598 |
| 1957 | 2,780 | #147 | — | — |
| 1956 | 2,527 | #150 | 9 | #2,906 |
| 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 | #318 | — | — |
| 1947 | 319 | #460 | — | — |
| 1946 | 198 | #567 | — | — |
| 1945 | 186 | #532 | — | — |
| 1944 | 177 | #542 | — | — |
| 1943 | 189 | #548 | — | — |
| 1942 | 154 | #599 | — | — |
| 1941 | 141 | #594 | — | — |
| 1940 | 95 | #716 | — | — |
| 1939 | 116 | #631 | — | — |
| 1938 | 85 | #754 | — | — |
| 1937 | 90 | #718 | — | — |
| 1936 | 56 | #919 | — | — |
| 1935 | 63 | #872 | — | — |
| 1934 | 43 | #1,071 | — | — |
| 1933 | 51 | #968 | — | — |
| 1932 | 62 | #896 | — | — |
| 1931 | 43 | #1,087 | — | — |
| 1930 | 57 | #976 | — | — |
| 1929 | 42 | #1,148 | — | — |
| 1928 | 43 | #1,174 | — | — |
| 1927 | 44 | #1,170 | — | — |
| 1926 | 46 | #1,126 | — | — |
| 1925 | 55 | #1,017 | — | — |
| 1924 | 53 | #1,075 | — | — |
| 1923 | 50 | #1,082 | — | — |
| 1922 | 68 | #889 | — | — |
| 1921 | 66 | #917 | — | — |
| 1920 | 59 | #956 | — | — |
| 1919 | 49 | #1,034 | — | — |
| 1918 | 63 | #909 | — | — |
| 1917 | 54 | #950 | — | — |
| 1916 | 64 | #854 | — | — |
| 1915 | 67 | #805 | — | — |
| 1914 | 52 | #814 | — | — |
| 1913 | 47 | #772 | — | — |
| 1912 | 42 | #776 | — | — |
| 1911 | 31 | #785 | — | — |
| 1910 | 47 | #614 | — | — |
| 1909 | 33 | #702 | — | — |
| 1908 | 27 | #753 | — | — |
| 1907 | 38 | #611 | — | — |
| 1906 | 22 | #787 | — | — |
| 1905 | 30 | #650 | — | — |
| 1904 | 24 | #719 | — | — |
| 1903 | 35 | #553 | — | — |
| 1902 | 40 | #505 | — | — |
| 1901 | 34 | #527 | — | — |
| 1900 | 40 | #536 | — | — |
| 1899 | 47 | #427 | — | — |
| 1898 | 35 | #539 | — | — |
| 1897 | 35 | #495 | — | — |
| 1896 | 30 | #562 | — | — |
| 1895 | 41 | #448 | — | — |
| 1894 | 52 | #392 | — | — |
| 1893 | 53 | #372 | — | — |
| 1892 | 34 | #469 | — | — |
| 1891 | 30 | #474 | — | — |
| 1890 | 42 | #390 | — | — |
| 1889 | 46 | #355 | — | — |
| 1888 | 40 | #384 | — | — |
| 1887 | 34 | #370 | — | — |
| 1886 | 58 | #274 | — | — |
| 1885 | 45 | #299 | — | — |
| 1884 | 48 | #279 | — | — |
| 1883 | 42 | #276 | — | — |
| 1882 | 41 | #276 | — | — |
| 1881 | 40 | #256 | — | — |
| 1880 | 33 | #274 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).