Greek

Melissa

meh-LISS-ah

Meaning: Bee

Girl
Familiar
3 syllables

The story

From the Greek word for bee. The name appears in Greek myth and later literature, including Orlando Furioso, before becoming an established English given name.

Nicknames

Missy
Mel
Lissa

Spellings & variants

Melisa
Melitta

Popularity

Familiar

In the US top 1,000 — familiar, not everywhere.

Lower in the latest US rankings

Style

Origins

Melissa comes from Greek.

Greek names205

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