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Girl · Greek
Melissa
Say it: muh-LIS-uh
Meaning
From Greek melissa 'honeybee'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A nymph's name in Greek myth and a fairy in Ariosto's 'Orlando Furioso'; hugely popular in the US in the 1970s and 80s.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1970s
In the United States
- 758,634 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1979, about 1 in 47 girls
- 881 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Melisa
| Greek | Melissa |
|---|---|
| Italian | Melissa |
| Spanish | Melisa |
| French | Mélissa |
Famous bearers
- Melissa, the good sorceress in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Ancient Greek literature and history (Homer, Herodotus, Plutarch and others)
- Well-known works of literature
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.