Where does the name Alyssa come from?

Alyssa is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.

Is Alyssa a boy or a girl name?

Alyssa is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 313,131 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Alyssa in 2023?

Alyssa ranks #334 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1999 with 14,036 babies.

How do you pronounce Alyssa?

Alyssa is pronounced a-LISS-a (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Alyssa?

Alyssa is also written as Alissa, Alyssia, Alyssia.

A name from Ancient Greek · Girl

Alyssa

From the alyssum flower, whose Greek name a-lyssa means 'without madness' — the plant was once believed to cure rabies. Surged in popularity after the early-80s baby boom and Alyssa Milano's TV stardom.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 73-year arc in numbers.

313,131 U.S. births recorded from 1950–2023.

Popularity · 1950–2023

930 births in 2023

1950 1986 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

AFrom the alyssum flower, whose Greek name a-lyssa means 'without madness' — the plant was once believed to cure rabies. Surged in popularity after the early-80s baby boom and Alyssa Milano's TV stardom.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Alyssa".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Alissa Most common Alyssia Alyssia

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Alyssa.

A
Alyssa Milano (actress)
A
Alyssa Mastromonaco (White House aide)

Quick answers

People often ask about Alyssa.

What does the name Alyssa mean?: Alyssa means from the alyssum flower, whose Greek name a-lyssa means 'without madness' — the plant was once believed to cure rabies. Surged in popularity after the early-80s baby boom and Alyssa Milano's TV stardom.
Where does the name Alyssa come from?: Alyssa is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.
Is Alyssa a boy or a girl name?: Alyssa is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 313,131 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Alyssa in 2023?: Alyssa ranks #334 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1999 with 14,036 babies.
How do you pronounce Alyssa?: Alyssa is pronounced a-LISS-a (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Alyssa?: Alyssa is also written as Alissa, Alyssia, Alyssia.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.