How to say it
me · LIS · sa
/məˈlɪs.ə/
Feminine
Melissa
Bee
What it means
Greek for 'bee' (melissa), with a halo of honey and sweetness; in myth, a nymph who fed the infant Zeus.
Melissa is the Greek word for 'honeybee,' carrying associations of sweetness and industry, and in myth it belonged to a nymph who nursed the baby Zeus on honey. The herb lemon balm bears the botanical name Melissa. It was a top girls' name from the 1960s through the 1980s, behind Melissa McCarthy and Melissa Etheridge. Mel and Missy are the shorts.
Popularity over time
peaked at #2 in 1977, currently #420 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
Mel and Missy are the everyday shorts.
- Worth knowing
Greek for 'bee'; also the herb lemon balm (Melissa).
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Melissa McCarthy American actress and comedian
Spelling variants
- Melisa
- Melyssa
- Melissende
Names with the same feeling
See Melissa from another angle
By style