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Melissa

“Bee, from Greek melissa; in Ireland sometimes servant of Jesus” — Greek; Irish Gaelic origin

Girl's name · #419 in the US (2025) · Retro

Melissa has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #2 (1977) · 760,128 babies named Melissa all-time · 1 in 2,200 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: #45 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) · #89 in Sweden (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 34 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Melissas

• Melissa McCarthy — American actress and comedian
• Melissa Leo — American actress
• Melissa Joan Hart — American actress
• Melissa Benoist — American actress and singer
• Melissa Rauch — American actress, model, and comedian

In stories & tradition

• Melissa — Orlando Furioso
• Melissa Duck — Baby Looney Tunes
• Melissa Hastings — Pretty Little Liars

What Melissas become

Among 1,509 notable people named Melissa:

Athletes appear 1.48× more often than among typical names — e.g. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, American athlete.

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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