Given name
Melisse
“he has returned”
Melisse is a variant of Melesse. One African interpretation is “he has returned.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Melisse is a variant of Melesse. One African interpretation is “he has returned.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Melisse is a variant of Melesse. An origin associated with Melesse is African. Melisse is a variant of Melissa. An origin associated with Melissa is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1939. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Melisse is a variant of Melissa. The history of Melissa gives this family its wider story. In Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Melissa is the benevolent witch who frees Rogero from Alcina. Separately, Melissa has also been used in Ireland as an English form of Maoilíosa; the two contexts should not be collapsed into one origin.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Melisse through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 273
- 0 boys · 273 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 1989. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 17 in 1975. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 320 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Melisse’s family of names
In English usage, Melisse has a related form in Melissa. In English usage, Melisse has a conventional equivalent in the German form Melitta. Melisse has a related form in Melesse.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Melisse, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“one who is much loved”
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Marya
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
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