Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
In English use, Mellisa 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 1952. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Mellisa 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
Mellisa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,575
- 0 boys · 4,575 girls
- Most popular year
- 1979
- 221 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 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 221 in 1979. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,645 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.
Mellisa’s family of names
In English usage, Mellisa has a related form in Melissa. In English usage, Mellisa has a conventional equivalent in the German form Melitta.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mellisa
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mellisa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elissa
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Marlena
Marlena is a feminine given name. It is used in English, Polish, Catalan, and Faroese.
>99% girls
Melinda
“one who is sweet and gentle”
>99% girls
Maricela
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% girls
Evelia
“giver of life; a lively woman”
>99% girls
Monique
“one who provides wise counsel”
>99% girls
Monica
“a solitary woman” · “one who advises others”
>99% girls
Elicia
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls