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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201994peak #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 1994

girls
#31
8,795 births · 1 in 203 girls
boys
#2,847
25 births · 1 in 77,281 boys

Top girls' names in 1994

  1. #1Jessica32,122
  2. #2Ashley30,281
  3. #3Emily24,154
  4. #4Samantha22,824
  5. #5Sarah22,299
  6. #6Taylor20,734
  7. #7Brittany18,900
  8. #8Amanda18,718
  9. #9Elizabeth16,786
  10. #10Megan16,580
  11. #31Melissa8,795

Top boys' names in 1994

  1. #1Michael44,477
  2. #2Christopher34,807
  3. #3Matthew33,654
  4. #4Joshua31,374
  5. #5Tyler30,482
  6. #6Brandon29,492
  7. #7Jacob29,417
  8. #8Daniel28,065
  9. #9Nicholas27,770
  10. #10Andrew26,019
  11. #2,847Melissa25
More about 1994

girls

1,785,753 girls got a published name in 1994; 1 in 203 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 99.8% of the 15,759 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #28Alexandra10,226
  2. #29Kelsey9,749
  3. #30Katherine9,586
  4. #31Melissa8,795
  5. #32Kimberly8,747
  6. #33Michelle8,639
  7. #34Allison8,150
Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. 4,523Nohely#5,419#896
  2. 4,322Aaliyah#4,524#202
  3. 2,306Zana#3,108#802
  4. 1,711Aliyah#2,068#357
  5. 1,430Zhane#2,012#582
Fallers
  1. 1,015Coraima#875#1,890
  2. 799Kalene#929#1,728
  3. 656Deyanira#938#1,594
  4. 577Crysta#968#1,545
  5. 562Hilary#647#1,209

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

boys

1,932,031 boys got a published name in 1994; 1 in 77,281 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 72.2% of the 10,245 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #2,766Zacary26
  2. #2,766Zachari26
  3. #2,766Zak26
  4. #2,847Melissa25
  5. #2,847Abdulaziz25
  6. #2,847Adolph25
  7. #2,847Akhil25
  8. #2,951Adel24
  9. #2,951Alaa24
  10. #2,951Arley24

Tied with 103 names at #2,847; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. 1,574Tyrin#2,509#935
  2. 714River#1,638#924
  3. 472Bryton#1,460#988
  4. 463Kahlil#1,444#981
  5. 446Jayden#1,295#849
Fallers
  1. 551Garth#965#1,516
  2. 364Jordy#828#1,192
  3. 342Montel#889#1,231
  4. 289Darrel#889#1,178
  5. 245Deante#859#1,104

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

See the top 100 for 1994