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Melissa

Greek
"honeybee"
Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Tue Sep 30 2025

Melissa Origin and Meaning

The name Melissa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "honeybee".

Melissa derives from the Greek word mélissa, meaning "bee," which was taken from the word for honey, meli. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey. Melissa was used as a given name by the early Greeks, as well as for fairies by Italian Renaissance poets.

Most parents today think of Melissa as one of the fashionable names during their childhoods, and indeed for years it was one of the most popular girl names starting with M. But there are still plenty of little Melissas around and Melissa is also a more classic name than you might think, used in the U.S. since the eighteenth century and originating as the name of a nymph in Greek mythology.

Melissa was the name of the good witch in Ariosto's major 1532 narrative poem Orlando Furioso. Later, it can be found in the works of a wide range of writers, including Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Lawrence Durrell.

# 378 in the US

Melissa Rank in US Top 1000

# 466 on Nameberry

Melissa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Melissa

20 Names Similar to Melissa

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Famous People Named Melissa

  • Melissa Benoist
    American actress
  • Melissa Fumero
    American actress
  • Melissa "Missy" Higgins
    Australian singer and actress
  • Melissa Rose "Melrose" Bickerstaff
    American model
  • Melissa Joan Hart
    American actress
  • Melissa Etheridge
    American singer
  • Melissa Claire Egan
    American actress
  • Melissa George
    Australian,American actress
  • Melissa Rosenberg
    American actress
  • Melissa Grimes
    fashion designer & contestant on "Under the Gunn"
  • Melissa Ordway
    American actress
  • Melissa Gilbert
    American actress
  • Melissa McCarthy
    American actress
  • Melissa 'Missy' Franklin
    US Olympic Gold Medal swimmer
  • Melissa McBride
    American actress
  • Melissa Sue Anderson
    American actress
  • Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott
    American singer
  • Melissa Mathison
    American film & TV screenwriter
  • Melissa Margaret Peterman
    American actress & comedian
  • Melissa Ivy Rauch
    American actress & comedian
  • Melissa Chessington Leo
    American actress
  • Melissa Lynn
    L.A. stylist and fiancee of actor Jonathan Sadowski
  • Melissa Trn
    costume designer and wife of actor Brett Dalton
  • Melissa "Missy" (Hollister) Lanning
    American vlogger as part of "Daily Bumps"
  • Melissa Palma Julie Tancredi
    Canadian soccer player
  • Melissa Susanne Henderson
    American soccer player
  • Melissa Marie Ortiz Matallana
    Colombian football player
  • Melissa Anne Barbieri
    Australian soccer player
  • Melissa Hooper
    competitor on E! reality show "Bridalplasty"
  • Melissa Ziegler
    Gisoni, mother of Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, featured on Lifetime’s “Dance Moms”

The name Melissa in Pop Culture

  • Melissa Hastings
    older sister of Spencer from ''Pretty Little Liars''
  • Melissa Artemis
    Greek dancer & prostitute in "The Alexandria Quartet"
  • Melissa Norman
    from the movie "Room 6"
  • Melissa Nelson
    from "Malicious"
  • Melissa Webber
    from "Packin' It In"
  • Melissa Scully
    character on FOX's "X,Files"
  • Melissa
    heroine in Barbara Cartland's book An Arrow of Love
  • Melissa Gale
    character in the game "Siren: Blood Curse"
  • Melissa McCall
    mother of Scott from MTV's "Teen Wolf"
  • Melissa Lewis
    commander of the Ares 3 mission in "The Martian"
  • Melissa 'Oregon' Shawcross
    character in TV's "Fresh Meat."
  • Melissa Lycan
    character in Aphmau's YouTube series
  • Melissa
    character in series "Yellowjackets"

International Variations of the name Melissa

  • Mélisande
    French
  • Melisa
    Spanish
  • Melissande
    French
  • Malisa
    Spanish