Mellissa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "honey bee".
Name Census estimates that about 5,120 living Americans carry the first name Mellissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mellissa today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mellissa births was 1979 (272 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mellissa. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Mellissa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
5.1K
~ 1 in 66,944 Americans
Peak year
1979
272 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2018 SSA rank
#17,327
Tracked since 1926
Census
Mellissa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,451 people with the first name Mellissa, which placed it at #3,715 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
#3,715
National first-name rank
People counted
5.5K
5,451 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mellissa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mellissa is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Mellissa 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 Mellissa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 3,757
- Hispanic or Latino14.2% · 772
- Black or African American9.4% · 511
- Two or more races4.2% · 227
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 61
Popularity
Mellissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mellissa from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,921 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mellissa 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 Mellissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mellissas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Mellissa, while Rhode Island, Connecticut, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 96 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mellissa
The name Mellissa has its origins in the Greek language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "melisse," which means "honey bee." This association with bees and honey reflects the sweetness and diligence often attributed to those bearing this name.
In Greek mythology, Mellissa was one of the nymphs who nurtured and cared for the infant Zeus on the island of Crete. She fed him honey, which was believed to have divine properties. This mythological connection adds a symbolic layer to the name, linking it to nurturing, sustenance, and divinity.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Mellissa can be found in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions dating back to the 5th century BC. One notable example is Melissa, a character in Euripides' play "Ion," which was written around 414 BC.
Throughout history, several influential figures have borne the name Mellissa. One of the earliest known was Melissa, a Greek woman who lived in the 2nd century BC and was renowned for her philosophical writings and teachings. Another notable Melissa was a 4th-century Christian saint and martyr from Persia, who was persecuted for her faith.
In the Middle Ages, Mellissa was a relatively uncommon name, but it gained popularity during the Renaissance period. One prominent figure was Melissa Cortona (1485-1550), an Italian Renaissance poet and scholar who was celebrated for her literary works and intellect.
During the 17th century, Mellissa Rankin (1608-1688) was a Scottish noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of her time. She was known for her commitment to Presbyterian principles and her influence in promoting the Scottish Reformation.
In the 19th century, Mellissa Hayden (1823-1899) was an American educator and activist who fought for women's rights and advocated for educational reform. She founded several schools and institutions dedicated to advancing the education of women and girls.
Another notable figure was Mellissa Terrell (1853-1920), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues, particularly women's suffrage and civil rights. Her works brought attention to the struggles and achievements of marginalized communities.
These are just a few examples of the many influential individuals throughout history who have borne the name Mellissa, each contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on society in their own unique way.
People
Mellissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mellissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mellissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mellissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mellissa 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 66,944 US residents.
Is Mellissa a common name?
We classify Mellissa as "Rare". It ranks above 96.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,625 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mellissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Mellissa was 1979, when 272 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mellissa is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mellissa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,451 people with the name Mellissa, or 1.80 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,715 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 Mellissa 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 Mellissa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mellissa appears almost entirely female. Of the 5,449 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Mellissa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mellissa is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Mellissa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Mellissa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (3,757 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 Mellissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mellissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mellissa 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 Mellissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mellissa 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 Mellissa 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 many people are named Mellissa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.