Total births
38,591
Girls' name · since 1948
Alissa
Since 1948, U.S. Social Security records show 38,591 babies named Alissa, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1555
- among girls today
- 38,591
- born since 1948
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Alissa currently ranks #1555 among girls' names in America, with 38,591 babies recorded since 1948.
Alissa has 38,591 recorded births among girls since 1948, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1555 as of the latest data, more common than 91% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1948 to 2025.
- #1555 among girls today
- 38,591 born since 1948
- 1990s peak decade
- 91% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alissa is currently the #1555 girls' name in America, more common than 91% of girls - 38,591 born since 1948, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1555
- among girls today
- 38,591
- born since 1948
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other girls
Alissa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1555
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 91% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Alissa was born in this single decade.
1998
Single peak year
1,231 babies were named Alissa in 1998 - its busiest year on record.
How Alissa compares
38,591 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alissa's all-time total is 101x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alissa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 38,591 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,231 | 48 | 19,840 |
Alissa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Alissa splits its recorded history at 1987: 69% of all births land in the more recent half, 31% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1949 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1998 peak of 1,231 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Alissa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1998
Current rank
#1,555
Active since
1948
Alissa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1948–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 1,231
- Annual births at peak, across 78 years of records
Alissa popularity over time - boys
31 total births recorded since 1978 (Alissa as boys' name)
Alissa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Alissa's strongest decade.
10,803 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Alissa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 14
1940s
14 births
- 1950s 203
1950s
203 births
- 1960s 1,245
1960s
1,245 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,621 births
- 1980s
1980s
8,203 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,803 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,444 births
- 2010s 3,268
2010s
3,268 births
- 2020s 790
2020s
790 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 10,803 births (28% of all-time use).
How Alissa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Alissa's total volume
Alissa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Alissa by state
Where Alissa concentrates geographically, total births since 1948
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,991 | 12.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,912 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,556 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,759 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,718 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,615 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,597 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 1,569 | 4.1% |
California share of Alissa's total US births 12.9%
Even split
4,991 of 38,591 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alissa appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alissa? ▼
Alissa has been given to 38,591 babies in the U.S. since 1948, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1555 as of the latest data. 1,231 babies were born in 1998, its single highest year.
When was Alissa most popular? ▼
Alissa was most popular in the 1990s decade with 10,803 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Alissa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alissa are California (4,991 births), New York (2,912 births), Texas (2,556 births).
How long has the name Alissa been used? ▼
Records for Alissa go back to 1948, giving 78 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Alissa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alice, Alicia, Alison, Alisha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Alissa's data
- Alissa's decade-level peak was the 1990s (10,803 total births); usage has since declined to 790 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alissas (4,991 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alissa
Nearby Names Like Alissa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alissa
Alice Girl
#63 588,147 births
Alicia Girl
#438 230,790 births
Alison Girl
#465 116,886 births
Alisha Girl
#1143 56,996 births
Aliyah Girl
#237 49,011 births
Compare Alissa side by side: Alissa vs Alice Alissa vs Alicia Alissa vs Alison
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alissa
Danica #1554
16,522 births · Peak 2007
Kamille #1556
5,661 births · Peak 2011
Marlene #1553
130,573 births · Peak 1936
Jamila #1557
8,322 births · Peak 1977
Brynnlee #1552
1,962 births · Peak 2021
Iqra #1558
1,836 births · Peak 2025
Laikyn #1551
2,119 births · Peak 2018
Sybil #1559
20,360 births · Peak 1921
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1948–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alissa: #1555 Girls' Name - 38,591 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alissa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alissa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.