Melissa
A girls’ name of Greek origin, meaning honey bee.
How Melissa has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #253 |
| 2016 | #260 |
| 2017 | #275 |
| 2018 | #299 |
| 2019 | #340 |
| 2020 | #348 |
| 2021 | #372 |
| 2022 | #377 |
| 2023 | #409 |
| 2024 | #378 |
| 2025 | #420 |
Melissa by the numbers
In 2025, 136 babies in England and Wales were named Melissa. In the US, 1,168 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
It is used at about the same rate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its American peak was 34,052 babies in 1979, so it is a 1970s name that has since fallen a long way.
At its height, in 1980, about 1 in 56 American girls born that year was called Melissa.
Names that come from Melissa
Forms of Melissa in other languages, names built from it, and names that mean a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
- Millihoney bee; diminutive of Melissa or Millicent3 in England and Wales (2025)
- Lissabee; a form of Melissa14 in the US (2017)
- Lissethbee; a form of Melissa14 in the US (2017)
- Melliehoney; a form of Melissa12 in the US (2017)
- Melihoney; a form of Melissa or Melina3 in England and Wales (2025)
- Melizavariant of Melissa; honey bee5 in the US (2017)
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Melissa. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Melisabee; a spelling variant of Melissa47 in England and Wales (2025)
- Melyssahoney bee; a modern spelling of Melissa18 in the US (2017)
- Malissahoney bee; a form of melissa6 in the US (2017)
- Melissiahoney bee; a variant of melissa
- Mellissahoney bee; a variant of melissa
- Milissahoney bee; a variant of melissa
Sounds like Melissa
Names that are said the same way as Melissa, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
- Mellisahoney bee; variant spelling of Melissa3 in England and Wales (2025)
Other names that mean a bee
Like Melissa, each of these has a bee in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Melinahoney; form of Melissa or Melina486 in the US (2017)
- Deborahbee68 in England and Wales (2025)
- Honeysweet substance made by bees253 in England and Wales (2025)
- Pamelaall honey; literary coinage by Philip Sidney153 in the US (2017)
- Melindahoney; a blend of Melissa and Belinda128 in the US (2017)
- Devorahbee; Hebrew spelling of Deborah108 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Melissa
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