UK girl's name
Mellisa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "honey bee".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Mellisa is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Mellisa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4684, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 10 births.
This profile covers 99 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1996 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 40% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 111 living people in the UK are called Mellisa. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Mellisa ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales in 2018, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 10 girls were registered as Mellisa.
- • Mellisa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #627 in 2001.
- • About 111 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mellisa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4684
2018
Births in 2018
4
Latest year
Peak year
1998
10 births
Estimated living
111
2026
Meaning
What does Mellisa mean?
The name Mellisa finds its origins in the ancient Greek language, derived from the word "melissa," which means "honey bee." This name has been associated with sweetness, diligence, and industriousness, much like the characteristics of these hardworking insects.
During the Classical era in ancient Greece, the name Mellisa was often used as a symbolic reference to the priestesses of the goddess Demeter, who was revered as the deity of agriculture and fertility. These priestesses were believed to have a close connection with nature and were tasked with performing rituals to ensure bountiful harvests.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mellisa can be found in the works of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, who lived around the 8th century BCE. In his epic poem "Works and Days," he mentions a character named Mellisa, though little is known about her significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mellisa. One such figure was Mellisa of Corinth (c. 500 BCE), a renowned Greek philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of early geometric principles.
In the medieval period, the name Mellisa gained popularity among Christians, as it was associated with the Virgin Mary's role as the "Mother of God." One notable example is Saint Mellisa of Bari (c. 1200 - 1271), an Italian nun and mystic known for her devotion to the Virgin Mary and her acts of charity.
During the Renaissance, the name Mellisa was embraced by several artists and intellectuals. Mellisa Caravaggio (1571 - 1610), an Italian Baroque painter, was celebrated for her powerful and dramatic works, many of which depicted religious themes.
In more recent times, the name Mellisa has continued to be used, though with varying spellings. Mellisa Etheridge (born 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and activist renowned for her contributions to the LGBTQ+ community and her advocacy for social and political causes.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have carried the name Mellisa throughout the centuries, each leaving their mark on the world in their own unique way.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mellisa over time
The chart below shows babies named Mellisa registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Mellisa, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2018, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mellisa by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mellisa was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4994 | 15 | 4 |
| 2000s | #3556 | 48 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1804 | 36 | 4 |
Geography
Where Mellisa is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mellisa. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Mellisa ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #627 in 2001.
Across the UK
Mellisa in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#627 in 2001
3 years of NRS records, 13 total registered
Related
Names similar to Mellisa
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Mellisa: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mellisa in the UK right now?
In 2018, Mellisa was ranked #4684 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Mellisa most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 10 babies registered as Mellisa in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mellisa?
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "honey bee".
How many people are called Mellisa in the UK?
A total of 99 babies have been registered as Mellisa across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland.
Where is Mellisa most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mellisa ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #627 in 2001. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.