Melinda vs Melissa

Side-by-side comparison of Melinda and Melissa — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Melinda

Girl name · Rank #2094

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Name B

Melissa

Girl name · Rank #376

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Melinda Melissa
Current Rank #2094 #376
Total Births (all years) 135,724 759,386
Peak Year 1970 1979
Peak Year Births 4,225 34,050
Peak Decade 1970ss 1970ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Melinda Melissa
1880ss 129 427
1890ss 157 399
1900ss 137 323
1910ss 199 516
1920ss 202 526
1930ss 567 666
1940ss 5,423 2,838
1950ss 21,509 22,293
1960ss 36,295 119,202
1970ss 36,438 253,268
1980ss 22,212 217,929
1990ss 7,927 89,989
2000ss 2,495 32,624
2010ss 1,571 14,272
2020ss 463 4,114

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Melinda Melissa
2014 165 1,509
2015 174 1,283
2016 139 1,236
2017 131 1,170
2018 120 1,117
2019 98 933
2020 105 887
2021 93 836
2022 83 823
2023 91 743
2024 91 825

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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