Alyssa
Alyssa was the 453rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 680 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 11th; the most babies were born in 1999 (14,036). Over the last ten years it has moved down 360 places. More babies were named Alyssa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · American English, Greek, Germanic
Say it uh-LIS-uh /əˈlɪsə/
- Rank in 2025
- #453 girls, down 254 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 680girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199914,036 babies
- Total since 1880
- 315,038babies recorded
What does the name Alyssa mean?
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)
Nicknames for Alyssa
The usual nicknames for Alyssa are Ally and Lyssa. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Alyssa in the last five years, 12 were named Ally, against 3 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Alyssas go by each one.
Alyssa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 432 since 1979.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #453 | 680 |
| 2020 | #199 | 1,472 |
| 2010 | #21 | 6,993 |
| 2000 | #12 | 13,553 |
| 1990 | #27 | 11,263 |
| 1980 | #217 | 1,180 |
| 1970 | #467 | 444 |
| 1960 | #1,021 | 111 |
| 1950 | #5,319 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alyssa, counting every spelling?
Alyssa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #359 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #453 for Alyssa 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 Alyssa?
680 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alyssa (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alyssa 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alyssa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alyssa?
About 309,400 people born in the US named Alyssa are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 20 and 33. That makes Alyssa 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.
Alyssa by state
How common Alyssa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.9×), Nevada (1.6×), Arizona (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Idaho, Iowa.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alyssa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alyssa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alyssa · Sibling names for Alyssa
Questions about the name Alyssa
What does Alyssa mean?
The origin of Alyssa is uncertain: Three proposed sources; none documented as the actual origin.
How popular is the name Alyssa?
Alyssa was the 453rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 680 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 11th; the most babies were born in 1999 (14,036). Over the last ten years it has moved down 360 places. More babies were named Alyssa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Alyssa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alyssa in the US.
Where is Alyssa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alyssa was most common in Alaska (1.39 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and District of Columbia.