Alysa
Alysa was the 10155th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 9 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 737th with 325 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,941 places. More babies were named Alysa in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Alyssa) Origin uncertain · American English, Greek, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #10,155 girls, down 3,505 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 9girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2001325 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,050babies recorded
What does the name Alysa mean?
Alysa is a spelling of Alyssa, pronounced the same way, so it shares Alyssa's meaning and origin.
Alyssa is a 20th-century name with no single documented origin. Wiktionary lists three possibilities: the garden plant alyssum, from Greek a-, "not", and lyssa, "rabies" (it was thought to cure it); a form of Alicia, the Latinized Alice, from Germanic adal, "noble"; or Elissa, another name of Dido, queen of Carthage. It was especially popular in the US in the 1990s and 2000s.
ἄλυσσον (Ancient Greek, “alyssum (plant)”)adalheit (Old High German, “nobility (via Alice/Alicia)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Three proposed sources; none documented as the actual origin.
Related names: Alissa, Alysa, Elissa, Alicia.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alyssa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alice', DMNES, Durham University
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elissa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Alysa popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,155 | 9 |
| 2020 | #6,650 | 17 |
| 2010 | #1,697 | 124 |
| 2000 | #768 | 297 |
| 1990 | #900 | 213 |
| 1980 | #2,308 | 42 |
| 1970 | #2,019 | 41 |
| 1960 | #4,194 | 10 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alysa, counting every spelling?
Alysa is a spelling of Alyssa, a name family that ranked #359 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #10,155 for Alysa on its own. Together these spellings went to 918 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa | 680 | #453 | 4,805 |
| Alisa | 125 | #1,654 | 802 |
| Alissa | 99 | #1,942 | 636 |
| Alysa | 9 | #10,155 | 71 |
| Allyssa | 5 | #15,060 | 51 |
| Alyssah | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alysa?
9 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alysa (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alysa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 930 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alysa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alysa?
About 6,900 people born in the US named Alysa are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 21 and 34. That makes Alysa mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alysa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alysa, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Alysa
What does Alysa mean?
The origin of Alyssa is uncertain: Three proposed sources; none documented as the actual origin.
How popular is the name Alysa?
Alysa was the 10155th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 9 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 737th with 325 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,941 places. More babies were named Alysa in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Alysa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alysa in the US.