Girls' name · since 1880
Malissa
8,866 babies named Malissa in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1979. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,812 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,920 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,866
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
8,866 babies have been named Malissa since 1880, making it today's #10920 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Malissa recorded 8,866 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #10920 nationally today, ahead of 37% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,812 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,920 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 8,866 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Malissa ranks #1,812 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,920 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 8,866 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,812 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,920 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,866
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Malissa's 8,866 recorded births place it above 97.49% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Malissa compares
8,866 Top 10% higher than 90% of 17,297 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
Malissa's all-time total is 24x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malissa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,866 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 307 | 21 | 19,840 |
Malissa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Malissa splits its recorded history at 1952: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1938 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1979 peak of 307 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Malissa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 307
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Malissa by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (2,657 births, 30% of the file).
1970s was Malissa's strongest decade.
2,657 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Malissa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 185
1880s
185 births
- 1890s 192
1890s
192 births
- 1900s 196
1900s
196 births
- 1910s 250
1910s
250 births
- 1920s 265
1920s
265 births
- 1930s 121
1930s
121 births
- 1940s 149
1940s
149 births
- 1950s 293
1950s
293 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,403 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,657 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,804 births
- 1990s 902
1990s
902 births
- 2000s 302
2000s
302 births
- 2010s 113
2010s
113 births
- 2020s 34
2020s
34 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 2,657 births (30% of all-time use).
How Malissa 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 Malissa's total volume
Malissa by state
Where Malissa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 809 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 401 | 4.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 351 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 292 | 3.3% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 288 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 252 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Florida | | 228 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 201 | 2.3% |
809 of 8,866 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Malissa appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Malissa? ▼
Where does Malissa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Malissa most popular? ▼
Where is Malissa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Malissa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Malissa? ▼
What to do with Malissa's data
- Malissa's decade-level peak was the 1970s (2,657 total births); usage has since declined to 34 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Malissas (809 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Malissa
Nearby Names Like Malissa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Malissa
Compare Malissa side by side: Malissa vs Mallory Malissa vs Malia Malissa vs Malinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malissa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Malissa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Malissa 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 August 2026.