Ulissa
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to Ulysses or Odysseus.
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Ulissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ulissa today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ulissa births was 1997 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ulissa. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ulissa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1997
9 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2007 SSA rank
#20,382
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Ulissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ulissa from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Ulissa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ulissa 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 Ulissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ulissa
The name Ulissa finds its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the classical era. It is derived from the Greek word "odysseia," meaning "journey" or "odyssey." This connection suggests that the name may have been originally associated with ideas of adventure, travel, and exploration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ulissa can be found in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, where it appears as a variant spelling of the name Ulysses, the Latin form of the Greek Odysseus. In the poem, Ulysses embarks on a long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War, facing numerous challenges and obstacles along the way.
Throughout Greek mythology, there are several notable characters bearing the name Ulissa or its variants. One such figure is Ulissa, a nymph who was said to have been the mother of the seer Calchas. Another is Ulissa, a daughter of the king of Arcadia, who was renowned for her beauty and was pursued by many suitors.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ulissa gained popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in areas influenced by Greek and Roman culture. One notable figure from this period is Ulissa de Vertus, a 12th-century French noblewoman and patron of the arts, who is known for her support of poets and troubadours.
During the Renaissance, the name Ulissa experienced a resurgence in popularity, likely due to the renewed interest in classical literature and mythology. One notable bearer of the name from this era is Ulissa Andrioli, an Italian painter and engraver active in the 16th century, who is particularly known for her portraits and religious works.
In the 19th century, the name Ulissa was occasionally used in literary works, reflecting the ongoing fascination with classical themes. For instance, Ulissa appears as a character in the novel "The Last Days of Pompeii" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, published in 1834.
Other notable individuals named Ulissa throughout history include Ulissa Greenlaw, a 19th-century American writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and abolition; Ulissa Cazelet, a 20th-century French painter known for her landscapes and still lifes; and Ulissa Vian, a contemporary Italian poet and translator.
People
Ulissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ulissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ulissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ulissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ulissa 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Ulissa a common name?
We classify Ulissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ulissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ulissa was 1997, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ulissa is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ulissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ulissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ulissa 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 Ulissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ulissa 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 Ulissa 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Ulissa?
Want to know how many people share the name Ulissa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.