How to say it
a · LYS · sa
/əˈlɪs.ə/
Feminine
Alyssa
Alyssum flower; rational
What it means
From the flower alyssum, whose Greek name means 'without madness,' and linked to Alice and Adelaide.
Alyssa usually points to the alyssum, a small flower whose Greek name a-lyssa means 'without frenzy,' since it was once thought to calm rage. It also reads as an elaboration of Alice and Adelaide. A big hit from the 1980s on, friendly and pretty, with Aly and Lissa as shorts. Said uh-LISS-uh.
Popularity over time
peaked at #11 in 1998, currently #453 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Aly, Lissa.
- Spelling
Also Alissa or Alisa.
Spelling variants
- Alissa
- Alyssia
- Alisa
Names with the same feeling
See Alyssa from another angle
By meaning