Given name
Missy
“resembling a honeybee”
In English use, Missy carries the interpretation “resembling a honeybee.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Missy carries the interpretation “resembling a honeybee.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Missy is used as a form of Melissa.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1943. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Missy is a diminutive 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
Missy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,776
- 0 boys · 5,776 girls
- Most popular year
- 1967
- 303 babies
- 2025
- 21
- #5,850 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +58%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 21 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,850 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 58.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 303 in 1967. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,541 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.
Missy’s family of names
In English usage, Missy is a diminutive of Melissa. Missy has a related form in Missie. Missy is a form of Melissa.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Missy
- Missy ElliottAmerican rapper (born 1971)
- Missy FranklinAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holderborn 1995
- Missy PeregrymCanadian actressborn 1982
- Missy HigginsAustralian singer and songwriterborn 1983
- Missy Schwen-RyanAmerican rowerborn 1972
- Missy GioveAmerican racing cyclistborn 1972
- Missy MazzoliAmerican composer and pianistborn 1980
- Missy Bo KearnsEnglish footballerborn 2001
- Missy BKCameroonian singer-songwriterborn 1986
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Missy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“born on Tuesday” · “born on a Tuesday”
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