BabyNameScore

Melissa

muh·LISS·uh · 3 syllables

Melissa is distinctive.

87/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Effortless

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    Shortens naturally in everyday use, with three established short forms.

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

NAME DETAILS

COMMON FORMS
Missy
Mel
Lissa
CLOSE SPELLINGS
Melisa
Malissa
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
Mélissa
Melitta
ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

Bee — from Ancient Greek melissa ("bee" or "honeybee"). Melissa's Greek "bee" etymology and its mythological/literary uses are well and consistently attested across sources; the main open question is simply which specific ancient figures the name was applied to first, which sources present as layered epithet use rather than a single settled origin story.

  1. Μέλισσα (Mélissa) — Ancient Greek. Melissa's adoption as an English-language given name dates to the 18th century, drawing on the ancient Greek word/mythological name rather than continuous transmission; it then rose sharply through the 20th century, peaking around #9 nationally in 1979 and remaining a top-15 US name through 1980.
  2. Mythological and religious contextIn Greek mythology, per the early Christian writer Lactantius, Melissa was a nymph, sister of Amalthea, who helped care for the infant Zeus; the name was also used as an epithet for Greek nymphs and priestesses associated with bees (reflecting its literal meaning), and belonged to a daughter of the mythical king Procles in some traditions.
POPULARITY

Melissa over time

United States
#420RANK

Rank #420 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Uncommon in current U.S. usage. Ranked #420 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

muh·LISS·uh

STRESS ON THE SECOND SYLLABLE

COMMON FORMS
  • Missy
  • Mel
  • Lissa
CLOSE SPELLINGS
  • Melisa
  • Malissa
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
  • MélissaFR
  • MelittaDE
PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Familiar and easy to pronounce for a child, though its huge 1970s-80s cohort means a child bearing it today is more likely to share it with parents' or grandparents' peers than with same-age classmates.

INTO ADULTHOOD

Reads as an established, professionally neutral name for adult women, having been a top-10 US name in 1979-1980 and thus common among many now-adult generations without being unusual or dated to a single narrow era.

Cultural Footprint

Melissa has been used as an English given name since the 18th century, building on a much older Greek word and mythological name; it became one of the defining girls' names of the late 1970s and 1980s in the US, so it carries a strong generational association with that era.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN
  1. Melissa McCarthy (b. 1970)American actress and comedian · Bridesmaids, Gilmore Girls
  2. Melissa Etheridge (b. 1961)American singer-songwriter
  3. Melissa Joan Hart (b. 1976)American actress · Sabrina the Teenage Witch

More about Melissa

FORMALITY

Has well-established short forms (Missy, Mel, Lissa) for informal use, while 'Melissa' itself reads as fully formal, giving it a wide formal/informal range.

Names around it

Melina
EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Melissa is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

English speakers will most likely pronounce it correctly on the first try. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Melissa