Alyssah
A feminine variant of Alicia, ultimately derived from the Germanic Adalheidis meaning "noble natured".
Name Census estimates that about 686 living Americans carry the first name Alyssah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alyssah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alyssah births was 2002 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alyssah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
686
~ 1 in 499,642 Americans
Peak year
2002
44 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,234
Tracked since 1993
Census
Alyssah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 548 people with the first name Alyssah, which placed it at #19,346 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,346
National first-name rank
People counted
548
548 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alyssah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alyssah is White at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.2%) and Black (15.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Alyssah described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Alyssah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.1% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino31.2% · 171
- Black or African American15.3% · 84
- Two or more races9.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 6
Popularity
Alyssah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alyssah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 343 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alyssah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alyssah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alyssahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Alyssah, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 49 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alyssah
The name Alyssah has its origins in the ancient Greek language, tracing back to around the 8th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "alysso," which means "bitter" or "mad," referring to a plant known for its bitterness. The name may have initially been associated with the alyssum flower, known for its small, fragrant blooms.
In Greek mythology, there are references to Alyssos, a character described as a son of Kanakos and a companion of Herakles. Some scholars also suggest a connection to the goddess Alyssa, a goddess of the underworld mentioned in ancient Greek texts.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Alyssah comes from the 4th century BCE, when an Athenian woman named Alyssa was mentioned in a historical record. In the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity in various European regions, particularly in France and England, where it was often spelled as "Alys" or "Alis."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Alyssah or its variations:
1. Alyssa of Abydos (c. 4th century BCE): A Greek philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of geometry.
2. Alyssa of Thessalonica (c. 7th century CE): A Christian martyr and saint who was persecuted for her faith during the reign of Emperor Maximian.
3. Alyssa de Montferrat (c. 1192 - 1212): A French princess and the daughter of Boniface I, Marquess of Montferrat, who played a role in the Fourth Crusade.
4. Alyssa Battista Aldobrandini (1600 - 1638): An Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of artists and intellectuals in Rome during the Baroque period.
5. Alyssa Blanche de Brienne (1253 - 1317): A French noblewoman and the wife of John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, who was involved in various political intrigues during the reign of Edward I of England.
The name Alyssah has maintained a consistent presence throughout history, with various spellings and cultural adaptations across different regions and time periods. Its Greek origins and association with mythology and historical figures have contributed to its enduring appeal and cultural significance.
People
Alyssah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alyssah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alyssah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alyssah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 686 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alyssah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 499,642 US residents.
Is Alyssah a common name?
We classify Alyssah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 696 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alyssah most popular?
The single biggest year for Alyssah was 2002, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alyssah is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alyssah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 548 people with the name Alyssah, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,346 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Alyssah in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alyssah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alyssah appears almost entirely female. Of the 556 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alyssah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alyssah is White at 40.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.2%) and Black (15.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Alyssah most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Alyssah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.1% (220 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Alyssah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alyssah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alyssah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Alyssah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alyssah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Alyssah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Alyssah?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Alyssah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.