Melissa

Greek

"honeybee"

Melissa Origin and Meaning

The name Melissa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "honeybee".

Melissa derives from the Greek word mélissa, meaning "bee," which was taken from the word for honey, meli. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey. Melissa was used as a given name by the early Greeks, as well as for fairies by Italian Renaissance poets.

Most parents today think of Melissa as one of the fashionable names during their childhoods, and indeed for years it was one of the most popular girl names starting with M. But there are still plenty of little Melissas around and Melissa is also a more classic name than you might think, used in the U.S. since the eighteenth century and originating as the name of a nymph in Greek mythology.

Melissa was the name of the good witch in Ariosto's major 1532 narrative poem Orlando Furioso. Later, it can be found in the works of a wide range of writers, including Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Lawrence Durrell.

Melissa Rank in US Top 1000

# 409 in the US

Melissa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 557 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Melissa

• 409 US 2023
• 557 Nameberry 2025
• 240 England 2023
• 99 Germany 2020
• 49 Italy 2020
• 49 Portugal 2020
• 23 Mexico 2021
• 25 Brazil 2024
• 88 Sweden 2022
• 84 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Melissa

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Melissa.

• Jennifer
• Amanda
• Angela
• Stephanie
• Danielle
• Christina
• Michelle
• Brittany
• Jessica
• Melanie
• Nicole
• Andrea
• Erica
• Tiffany
• Christine
• Natasha
• Monica
• Courtney
• Alicia
• Maria

Famous People Named Melissa

• Melissa Benoist American actress
• Melissa Fumero American actress
• Melissa "Missy" Higgins Australian singer and actress
• Melissa Rose "Melrose" Bickerstaff American model
• Melissa Joan Hart American actress
• Melissa Etheridge American singer
• Melissa Claire Egan American actress
• Melissa George Australian,American actress
• Melissa Rosenberg American actress
• Melissa Grimes fashion designer & contestant on "Under the Gunn"
• Melissa Ordway American actress
• Melissa Gilbert American actress
• Melissa McCarthy American actress
• Melissa 'Missy' Franklin US Olympic Gold Medal swimmer
• Melissa McBride American actress
• Melissa Sue Anderson American actress
• Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott American singer
• Melissa Mathison American film & TV screenwriter
• Melissa Margaret Peterman American actress & comedian
• Melissa Ivy Rauch American actress & comedian
• Melissa Chessington Leo American actress
• Melissa Lynn L.A. stylist and fiancee of actor Jonathan Sadowski
• Melissa Trn costume designer and wife of actor Brett Dalton
• Melissa "Missy" (Hollister) Lanning American vlogger as part of "Daily Bumps"
• Melissa Palma Julie Tancredi Canadian soccer player
• Melissa Susanne Henderson American soccer player
• Melissa Marie Ortiz Matallana Colombian football player
• Melissa Anne Barbieri Australian soccer player
• Melissa Hooper competitor on E! reality show "Bridalplasty"
• Melissa Ziegler Gisoni, mother of Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, featured on Lifetime’s “Dance Moms”

The name Melissa in Pop Culture

• Melissa Hastings older sister of Spencer from ''Pretty Little Liars''
• Melissa Artemis Greek dancer & prostitute in "The Alexandria Quartet"
• Melissa Norman from the movie "Room 6"
• Melissa Nelson from "Malicious"
• Melissa Webber from "Packin' It In"
• Melissa Scully character on FOX's "X,Files"
• Melissa heroine in Barbara Cartland's book An Arrow of Love
• Melissa Gale character in the game "Siren: Blood Curse"
• Melissa McCall mother of Scott from MTV's "Teen Wolf"
• Melissa Lewis commander of the Ares 3 mission in "The Martian"
• Melissa 'Oregon' Shawcross character in TV's "Fresh Meat."
• Melissa Lycan character in Aphmau's YouTube series
• Melissa character in series "Yellowjackets"

International Variations of the name Melissa

• Mélisande French
• Melisa Spanish
• Melissande French
• Malisa Spanish