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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201992peak #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.

Where Melissa is popular in 1992

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #23 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 101 girlsAKMaine: #33 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 139 girlsMEVermont: #37 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 114 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #24 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 96 girlsNHWashington: #26 for girls · 220 births · 1 in 140 girlsWAIdaho: #22 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 99 girlsIDMontana: #30 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 112 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #21 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 92 girlsNDMinnesota: #29 for girls · 197 births · 1 in 134 girlsMNIllinois: #20 for girls · 592 births · 1 in 127 girlsILWisconsin: #24 for girls · 233 births · 1 in 119 girlsWIMichigan: #26 for girls · 384 births · 1 in 149 girlsMINew York: #14 for girls · 1,087 births · 1 in 107 girlsNYMassachusetts: #20 for girls · 329 births · 1 in 109 girlsMARhode Island: #28 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 122 girlsRIOregon: #28 for girls · 118 births · 1 in 138 girlsORNevada: #21 for girls · 69 births · 1 in 105 girlsNVWyoming: #35 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 114 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #23 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 92 girlsSDIowa: #42 for girls · 94 births · 1 in 163 girlsIAIndiana: #51 for girls · 156 births · 1 in 213 girlsINOhio: #37 for girls · 389 births · 1 in 175 girlsOHPennsylvania: #24 for girls · 552 births · 1 in 124 girlsPANew Jersey: #13 for girls · 551 births · 1 in 83 girlsNJConnecticut: #18 for girls · 198 births · 1 in 90 girlsCTCalifornia: #12 for girls · 2,297 births · 1 in 112 girlsCAUtah: #21 for girls · 116 births · 1 in 119 girlsUTColorado: #26 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 142 girlsCONebraska: #25 for girls · 74 births · 1 in 115 girlsNEMissouri: #32 for girls · 183 births · 1 in 169 girlsMOKentucky: #90 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 389 girlsKYWest Virginia: #50 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 204 girlsWVVirginia: #36 for girls · 209 births · 1 in 175 girlsVAMaryland: #33 for girls · 179 births · 1 in 150 girlsMDDelaware: #34 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 132 girlsDEArizona: #17 for girls · 220 births · 1 in 119 girlsAZNew Mexico: #17 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 113 girlsNMKansas: #27 for girls · 104 births · 1 in 128 girlsKSArkansas: #88 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 395 girlsARTennessee: #63 for girls · 103 births · 1 in 289 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #39 for girls · 200 births · 1 in 199 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #42 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 205 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #41 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 176 girlsDCOklahoma: #40 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 202 girlsOKLouisiana: #67 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 308 girlsLAMississippi: #62 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 280 girlsMSAlabama: #54 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 261 girlsALGeorgia: #44 for girls · 189 births · 1 in 218 girlsGAHawaii: #36 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 155 girlsHITexas: #26 for girls · 872 births · 1 in 158 girlsTXFlorida: #24 for girls · 596 births · 1 in 126 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. California#12 · 1 in 112
  2. New Jersey#13 · 1 in 83
  3. New York#14 · 1 in 107
  4. New Mexico#17 · 1 in 113
  5. Arizona#17 · 1 in 119

Best ever in a state: #1 in Kentucky, 1970.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
California#122,2971 in 112
New Jersey#135511 in 83
New York#141,0871 in 107
Arizona#172201 in 119
New Mexico#17821 in 113
Connecticut#181981 in 90
Illinois#205921 in 127
Massachusetts#203291 in 109
Nevada#21691 in 105
North Dakota#21361 in 92
Utah#211161 in 119
Idaho#22551 in 99
Alaska#23321 in 101
South Dakota#23401 in 92
Florida#245961 in 126
New Hampshire#24611 in 96
Pennsylvania#245521 in 124
Wisconsin#242331 in 119
Nebraska#25741 in 115
Colorado#261491 in 142
Michigan#263841 in 149
Texas#268721 in 158
Washington#262201 in 140
Kansas#271041 in 128
Oregon#281181 in 138
Rhode Island#28431 in 122
Minnesota#291971 in 134
Montana#30301 in 112
Missouri#321831 in 169
Maine#33411 in 139
Maryland#331791 in 150
Delaware#34271 in 132
Wyoming#35141 in 114
Hawaii#36311 in 155
Virginia#362091 in 175
Ohio#373891 in 175
Vermont#37211 in 114
North Carolina#392001 in 199
Oklahoma#40851 in 202
District of Columbia#41301 in 176
Iowa#42941 in 163
South Carolina#42921 in 205
Georgia#441891 in 218
West Virginia#50411 in 204
Indiana#511561 in 213
Alabama#54821 in 261
Mississippi#62461 in 280
Tennessee#631031 in 289
Louisiana#67771 in 308
Arkansas#88301 in 395
Kentucky#90541 in 389

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1992

girls
#24
11,710 births · 1 in 157 girls
boys
#2,002
39 births · 1 in 51,216 boys

Top girls' names in 1992

  1. #1Ashley38,460
  2. #2Jessica38,361
  3. #3Amanda25,039
  4. #4Brittany24,983
  5. #5Sarah24,634
  6. #6Samantha24,407
  7. #7Emily21,835
  8. #8Stephanie19,680
  9. #9Elizabeth19,035
  10. #10Megan17,842
  11. #24Melissa11,710

Top boys' names in 1992

  1. #1Michael54,410
  2. #2Christopher42,468
  3. #3Matthew37,733
  4. #4Joshua36,221
  5. #5Andrew30,542
  6. #6Brandon29,628
  7. #7Daniel29,157
  8. #8Tyler28,806
  9. #9James28,513
  10. #10David28,425
  11. #2,002Melissa39
More about 1992

girls

1,843,931 girls got a published name in 1992; 1 in 157 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 99.8% of the 15,610 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 13.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #21Courtney12,604
  2. #22Victoria11,907
  3. #23Kelsey11,713
  4. #24Melissa11,710
  5. #25Michelle11,512
  6. #26Hannah11,496
  7. #27Katherine11,149
Biggest movers since 1991
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,282Darian#2,989 → #707
  2. ↑ 1,958Payton#2,660 → #702
  3. ↑ 1,450Peyton#2,034 → #584
  4. ↑ 1,115Chandler#1,656 → #541
  5. ↑ 1,080Brianda#1,857 → #777
Fallers
  1. ↓ 855Rebeccah#1,000 → #1,855
  2. ↓ 725Ieshia#717 → #1,442
  3. ↓ 502Miesha#997 → #1,499
  4. ↓ 470Unknown#794 → #1,264
  5. ↓ 356Phylicia#928 → #1,284

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

boys

1,997,409 boys got a published name in 1992; 1 in 51,216 of them was named Melissa, which outranked 79.6% of the 9,820 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Melissa
  1. #1,981Yoel40
  2. #1,981Zacchaeus40
  3. #1,981Zacharias40
  4. #2,002Melissa39
  5. #2,002Aiden39
  6. #2,002Armon39
  7. #2,002Aryeh39
  8. #2,046Abdiel38
  9. #2,046Alexandra38
  10. #2,046Arin38

Tied with 43 names at #2,002; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1991
Risers
  1. ↑ 6,348Dalvin#7,271 → #923
  2. ↑ 3,435Jalen#3,813 → #378
  3. ↑ 2,026Davante#2,828 → #802
  4. ↑ 1,555Davonta#2,469 → #914
  5. ↑ 1,383Juwan#2,344 → #961
Fallers
  1. ↓ 2,632Unnamed#972 → #3,604
  2. ↓ 450Octavius#945 → #1,395
  3. ↓ 398Male#679 → #1,077
  4. ↓ 394Khiry#915 → #1,309
  5. ↓ 379Dijon#915 → #1,294

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

See the top 100 for 1992 →