Girls' name · since 1948
Melisa
Since 1948, U.S. Social Security records show 19,111 babies named Melisa, peaking in 1979. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,101 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,940 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 19,111
- born since 1948
- 1970s
- peak decade
19,111 babies have been named Melisa since 1948, making it today's #2940 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melisa has been recorded 19,111 times among girls since 1948, currently ranked #2940 nationally and more common than 83% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1948 to 2025.
- #1,101 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,940 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 19,111 born since 1948
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Melisa ranks #1,101 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,940 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 19,111 born since 1948, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,101 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,940 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 19,111
- born since 1948
- 1970s
- peak decade
Melisa's 19,111 recorded births place it above 98.47% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Melisa compares
19,111 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Melisa's all-time total is 51x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Melisa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 19,111 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 661 | 21 | 19,840 |
Melisa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Melisa splits its recorded history at 1987: 33% of all births land in the more recent half, 67% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1948 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1979 peak of 661 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Melisa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1948–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 661
- Annual births at peak, across 78 years of records
Melisa popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 1972 (Melisa as boys' name)
Melisa by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (5,890 births, 31% of the file).
1970s was Melisa's strongest decade.
5,890 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Melisa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 10
1940s
10 births
- 1950s 473
1950s
473 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,396 births
- 1970s
1970s
5,890 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,885 births
- 1990s 2,276
1990s
2,276 births
- 2000s 1,937
2000s
1,937 births
- 2010s 932
2010s
932 births
- 2020s 312
2020s
312 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 5,890 births (31% of all-time use).
How Melisa 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 Melisa's total volume
Melisa by state
Where Melisa concentrates geographically, total births since 1948
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,716 | 14.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,888 | 9.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,237 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 855 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 819 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 610 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 602 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 586 | 3.1% |
2,716 of 19,111 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Melisa appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Melisa? ▼
Where does Melisa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Melisa most popular? ▼
Where is Melisa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Melisa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Melisa? ▼
What to do with Melisa's data
- Melisa's decade-level peak was the 1970s (5,890 total births); usage has since declined to 312 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Melisas (2,716 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 Melisa
Nearby Names Like Melisa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Melisa
Compare Melisa side by side: Melisa vs Melissa Melisa vs Melanie Melisa vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Melisa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Melisa: 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 (~77 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, 1948–2025 (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 Melisa 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.