Melissa is a distinctive choice, ranked #280 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Melissa in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#280
US Rank #378
About the Name Melissa
Melissa is gradually declining in popularity, having dropped 43 places over five years. Its high point was #46 in 1996, and it now sits at #280. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has broken into the UK top 100 on 9 occasions, signalling genuine mainstream interest.
Melissa is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it sits at #378 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Melissa
Unlikely. With around 160 UK babies named Melissa per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Melissa in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Melissa has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 43 places in the last five years. Its peak was #46 in 1996. Choosing it now means she is likely to be among the last of her generation with this name.
Melissa is more popular in the UK (#280) than in the US (#378). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Melissa include: Melissa Marsh — Melissa Marsh is an Australian former professional basketball player.; Melissa Panarello — Melissa Panarello, alias Melissa P.; Melissa Jiménez (journalist) — Melissa María Jiménez Dionisio is a Spanish sports journalist working for DAZN..
Melissa appears in the US top 500 at #378 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
160
UK babies named Melissa (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↓ 43 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Melissa
Likely around 1 other Melissa in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Melissa
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Melissa Marsh is an Australian former professional basketball player. She spent her whole career playing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and State Basketball League (SBL).
Melissa Bell was an English singer. From 1993 to 1996, Bell was one of the lead singers of British R&B act Soul II Soul, with whom she released a single titled "Wish".
Melissa Ponzio is an American actress, best known for her roles as Melissa McCall on Teen Wolf and Karen on The Walking Dead. Ponzio has also starred in Chicago Fire as Donna Robbins-Boden.
Melissa Anne Hortman was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 61st speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, she represented northern parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 to 2025, serving as the House minority leader from 2017 to 2019 and as speaker from 2019 to January 2025.
Melissa Ann Shepard, also known as Melissa Ann Weeks, Melissa Ann Friedrich, Melissa Ann Shephard and Melissa Ann Stewart, sometimes given the sobriquet of Internet Black Widow, is a Canadian murderer and habitual offender. Shepard has been convicted of manslaughter in the death of one of her husbands, convicted of poisoning another, and convicted of numerous fraud offenses.
Melissa Elizabeth Lucio is an American woman who was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who was found to have scattered bruising in various stages of healing, as well as injuries to her head and contusions of the kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. Prosecutors said that Mariah's injuries were the result of physical abuse, while Lucio's attorneys say that her death was caused by a fall down the stairs two days prior.