Melissa

#419 for girls in 2025, 747 births · Last seen for boys in 2015 at #12,086
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1979 · 34,050 births
Debut · girls
33 births
In top 100 · girls
44 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
760,128
since 1880

Melissa over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201962peak #2, 1979girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#419747
2024#379826
2023#411744
2022#379823
2021#372836
2020#349887
2019#340933
2018#2991,117
2017#2741,170
2016#2601,236
2015#2531,283#12,0865
2014#2241,509
2013#2021,592
2012#1781,772
2011#1841,709
2010#1561,951
2009#1372,338
2008#1342,517#9,8717
2007#1372,505#10,9216
2006#1172,893#12,0555
2005#1043,085#6,63411
2004#983,339#8,9277
2003#963,502#7,8318
2002#803,769#7,6438
2001#744,145#5,66712
2000#714,532#7,4168
1999#644,830#3,98618
1998#595,354#3,70819
1997#446,679#3,45520
1996#427,170#4,18515
1995#357,879#3,19121
1994#318,795#2,84725
1993#3010,225#2,34732
1992#2411,710#2,00239
1991#2013,348#2,54427
1990#2014,000#1,66249
1989#1915,203#1,21977
1988#1616,546#1,17873
1987#1317,674#1,11474
1986#1217,667#1,00884
1985#1119,963#99285
1984#821,896#97683
1983#623,475#872101
1982#525,864#849109
1981#528,005#90697
1980#431,629#747138
1979#234,050#764129
1978#228,327#854101
1977#226,879#88292
1976#325,094#88688
1975#424,168#86792
1974#722,166#86186
1973#622,479#91477
1972#722,494#87784
1971#723,875#94175
1970#723,735#95970
1969#523,018#91669
1968#521,733#93061
1967#918,377#1,13243
1966#2214,254#1,23737
1965#3810,563#1,51326
1964#538,318#1,90018
1963#617,321#1,58525
1962#686,306#2,67310
1961#954,900#2,9009
1960#1094,412#2,8719
1959#1273,627#2,53011
1958#1303,323#2,50611
1957#1472,780
1956#1502,527#2,7989
1955#1492,416
1954#1702,062
1953#1632,007
1952#2011,442
1951#2291,129
1950#240980
1949#276778
1948#317600
1947#460319
1946#566198
1945#532186
1944#542177
1943#545189
1942#599154
1941#592141
1940#71495
1939#628116
1938#74985
1937#71790
1936#90956
1935#86663
1934#1,06243
1933#95751
1932#89162
1931#1,07443
1930#97157
1929#1,13742
1928#1,16343
1927#1,16144
1926#1,11546
1925#1,00855
1924#1,06953
1923#1,07650
1922#88868
1921#91466
1920#94959
1919#1,02649
1918#90063
1917#94554
1916#84864
1915#80267
1914#80252
1913#76747
1912#77042
1911#77731
1910#61047
1909#69133
1908#74227
1907#60138
1906#77622
1905#64230
1904#71024
1903#54935
1902#50240
1901#52034
1900#53140
1899#42447
1898#52735
1897#49135
1896#55330
1895#44041
1894#39052
1893#37053
1892#46534
1891#47130
1890#38442
1889#35346
1888#38040
1887#36734
1886#27458
1885#29645
1884#27748
1883#27442
1882#27141
1881#25140
1880#27133
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Melissa was already there! It came in at #271, and was given to 33 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1904–1906, when fewer than 31 girls a year got the name.

See more about Melissa
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 40 spots since 2024 (#379#419)
  • 70 spots since 2020 (#349#419)
  • 166 spots since 2015 (#253#419)
  • Biggest jump: 196 spots in 1935 (#1,062#866)
  • Biggest drop: 188 spots in 1923 (#888#1,076)
Rise & fade · girls
99 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1979 at #2 (34,050 births)
  • Births halved by 1988, 9 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 18 yrs
  • Top 10: 18 yrs · run 1967–1984
  • Top 100: 44 yrs · run 1961–2004
  • Top 1,000: 136 yrs · run 1935–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 47
  • Highest: 1 in 47 girls born in 1979 were named Melissa (2.1%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,152 girls born in 2025 (0.05%)
Era · girls
The 1970s
  • 33.3% of all girls named Melissa (253,267) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s427#251 (1881)#301
1890s399#370 (1893)#452
1900s323#502 (1902)#626
1910s516#610 (1910)#825
1920s526#888 (1922)#1,048
1930s666#628 (1939)#882
1940s2,837#276 (1949)#514
1950s22,293#127 (1959)#171
1960s119,202#5 (1969)#47
1970s253,267#2 (1979)#5
1980s217,922#4 (1980)#10
1990s89,990#20 (1990)#37
2000s32,625#71 (2000)#105
2010s14,272#156 (2010)#237
2020s4,863#349 (2020)#385

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Melissa in 1962

girls
#68
6,306 births · 1 in 312 girls
boys
#2,673
10 births · 1 in 206,877 boys

Top girls' names in 1962

  1. #1Lisa46,069
  2. #2Mary43,502
  3. #3Susan35,752
  4. #4Karen35,184
  5. #5Linda31,461
  6. #6Patricia26,532
  7. #7Donna25,719
  8. #8Cynthia24,025
  9. #9Deborah22,889
  10. #10Sandra22,420
  11. #68Melissa6,306

Top boys' names in 1962

  1. #1Michael85,059
  2. #2David81,337
  3. #3John78,427
  4. #4James72,555
  5. #5Robert70,199
  6. #6Mark53,520
  7. #7William44,853
  8. #8Richard39,422
  9. #9Thomas36,529
  10. #10Jeffrey33,537
  11. #2,673Melissa10
More about 1962

girls

1,966,603 girls got a published name in 1962; 1 in 312 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 99.1% of the 7,584 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #65Suzanne6,851
  2. #66Beth6,419
  3. #67Valerie6,335
  4. #68Melissa6,306
  5. #69Beverly6,266
  6. #70Stephanie6,257
  7. #71Lynn6,217
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. 1,281Tiffany#2,070#789
  2. 879Whitney#1,627#748
  3. 541Zina#1,533#992
  4. 414Glynis#1,406#992
  5. 408Lolita#978#570
Fallers
  1. 300Fern#821#1,121
  2. 259Jacklyn#815#1,074
  3. 255Dorthy#929#1,184
  4. 224Laurene#943#1,167
  5. 215Jimmie#911#1,126

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,068,772 boys got a published name in 1962; 1 in 206,877 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 42.3% of the 4,631 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #2,504Yitzchok11
  2. #2,504Zan11
  3. #2,504Zeno11
  4. #2,673Melissa10
  5. #2,673Aldon10
  6. #2,673Almon10
  7. #2,673Alpha10
  8. #2,848Algis9
  9. #2,848Alvah9
  10. #2,848Ames9

Tied with 174 names at #2,673; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. 490Ritchie#1,262#772
  2. 353King#1,349#996
  3. 338Arlie#1,322#984
  4. 250Robb#1,052#802
  5. 243Pernell#928#685
Fallers
  1. 351Mariano#928#1,279
  2. 349Michal#910#1,259
  3. 337Loran#958#1,295
  4. 292Sid#967#1,259
  5. 275Lorenza#940#1,215

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1962