Total births
4,575
Girls' name · since 1952
Mellisa
4,575 babies named Mellisa in U.S. Social Security records since 1952, with the highest year being 1979. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #15592
- among girls today
- 4,575
- born since 1952
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other girls
4,575 babies have been named Mellisa since 1952, making it today's #15592 girls' name.
Mellisa has 4,575 recorded births among girls since 1952, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #15592 as of the latest data, more common than 12% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1952 to 2024.
- #15592 among girls today
- 4,575 born since 1952
- 1970s peak decade
- 12% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mellisa is currently the #15592 girls' name in America, more common than 12% of girls - 4,575 born since 1952, peaking in the 1970s.
- #15592
- among girls today
- 4,575
- born since 1952
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other girls
Mellisa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15592
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 12% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Mellisa was born in this single decade.
1979
Single peak year
221 babies were named Mellisa in 1979 - its busiest year on record.
How Mellisa compares
4,575 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Mellisa's all-time total is 12x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mellisa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,575 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 221 | 48 | 19,840 |
Mellisa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Mellisa's full recorded timeline at 1985, 33% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 67% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2010, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1979 peak of 221 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Mellisa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1979
Current rank
#15,592
Active since
1952
Mellisa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1952–2024
- Peak year (1979)
- 221
- Annual births at peak, across 73 years of records
Mellisa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Mellisa's strongest decade.
1,569 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Mellisa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 53
1950s
53 births
- 1960s 551
1960s
551 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,569 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,539 births
- 1990s
1990s
641 births
- 2000s 184
2000s
184 births
- 2010s 33
2010s
33 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,569 births (34% of all-time use).
How Mellisa 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 Mellisa's total volume
Mellisa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Mellisa by state
Where Mellisa concentrates geographically, total births since 1952
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 547 | 12.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 279 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 252 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 192 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 158 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Florida | | 145 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 134 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 123 | 2.7% |
California share of Mellisa's total US births 12.0%
Even split
547 of 4,575 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 30 reporting states.
Mellisa appears in 30 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mellisa? ▼
Mellisa has been given to 4,575 babies in the U.S. since 1952, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #15592 as of the latest data. 221 babies were born in 1979, its single highest year.
When was Mellisa most popular? ▼
Mellisa was most popular in the 1970s decade with 1,569 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Mellisa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mellisa are California (547 births), New York (279 births), Texas (252 births).
How long has the name Mellisa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Mellisa since 1952 -- 73 years through the most recent 2024 data.
What names are similar to Mellisa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Melissa, Melanie, Melinda, Melody, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Mellisa's data
- Mellisa's decade-level peak was the 1970s (1,569 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Mellisas (547 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 Mellisa
Nearby Names Like Mellisa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mellisa
Melissa Girl
#379 760,128 births
Melanie Girl
#122 262,640 births
Melinda Girl
#2099 135,822 births
Melody Girl
#91 114,914 births
Melba Girl
#11152 34,873 births
Compare Mellisa side by side: Mellisa vs Melissa Mellisa vs Melanie Mellisa vs Melinda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mellisa
Denisa #15591
994 births · Peak 1964
Graceanne #15593
460 births · Peak 2002
Kimberlie #15590
3,678 births · Peak 1970
Andrina #15594
712 births · Peak 1992
Shaye #15589
2,188 births · Peak 1998
Lis #15595
360 births · Peak 1961
Torrie #15588
2,878 births · Peak 1977
Nike #15596
150 births · Peak 2023
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, 1952–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mellisa: #15592 Girls' Name - 4,575 Births, Peak 1979." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mellisa. 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 Mellisa 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.