Melessa
Feminine · Greek roots · “honeybee (as Melissa)”
Melessa is Melissa with an e in the stressed syllable, and that makes it one of the few respellings that can actually be heard: muh-LESS-uh rather than muh-LISS-uh. Its root is the Greek melissa, 'honeybee'.
How old is the name Melessa?
Melessa first appears in US birth records in 1954 — 71 years ago. The typical Melessa alive today was born around 1973, making them about 52 years old. About 500 people named Melessa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Melessa most popular?
Melessa peaked in 1965, reaching #2684 nationally. See the whole 1965 chart.
Where it comes from
From melissa (Greek, honeybee) to Melessa
The story of Melessa
Most respellings of a familiar name change a letter where nobody can hear it, in a syllable that carries no stress. Melessa does the opposite. The i it replaces sits in the one syllable of Melissa said with force, so read as written it comes out muh-LESS-uh, a distinct sound. On the page and in a careful voice it keeps its own vowel, while its root stays the Greek word for a honeybee. Nothing records who first wrote it this way.
Meaning
honeybee (as Melissa)
Melessa is a spelling of Melissa, the Greek word for a honeybee, built on meli, 'honey'. The changed vowel does not change the root.
How the name formed
- melissaGreek, honeybee
- Melissa
- Melessa
Related forms: Melissa · Melissa
Pronouncing Melessa
muh-LESS-uh
Read as written, muh-LESS-uh. Many people will say muh-LISS-uh by habit, as for Melissa.
Nicknames for Melessa
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1954
- Most girls named
- 197628 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2684reached in 1965
- Change vs 1991
- +40.0%7 in 1992, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Melessa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Melissa in Greek — same name
- Melissa in Italian — same name
Melessas among us
people named Melessa are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Melessa sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Rests on Melissa, a name with a clear Greek meaning, 'honeybee'.
- Takes Mel and Missy as ready short forms.
- The changed vowel can be heard, so the name has its own sound, not only its own spelling.
- Most people will write and say Melissa, and the e will need pointing out; forms will correct it.
- The stressed syllable reads as the word 'less', which a few children will notice. It rarely lasts past the first week.
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Melessa
Feminine · Greek roots
Frequently asked
- How many Melessas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Melessa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Melessa in 2025?
- Melessa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Melessa with classmates?
- Melessa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Melessa? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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