Alyssa: Meaning, origin and popularity

Pronounced uh-LIS-uh · 3 syllables

Alyssa means “a plant of the genus Alyssum”, from Germanic.

A 20th-century invention. Possible origins: * From alyss(um) (“a plant of the genus Alyssum”) + -a. * From Alicia, of Germanic origin. * From Elissa.

How popular is Alyssa?

Alyssa was the #453 name in the US in 2025, given to 680 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 78% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Babies named Alyssa in the US by five-year period, relative to its peak (around 2000).

Half of US adults named Alyssa are older than 29; most are between 19 and 46. (Estimated from US births by year and life tables.)

Names that real brothers and sisters of people named Alyssa have, from family records on Wikidata, most common first.

Chosen by the same families or with a similar style and era.

Alyssa means “a plant of the genus Alyssum”. It comes from Germanic.

Alyssa is pronounced uh-LIS-uh.

Alyssa was the #453 name in the US in 2025, given to 680 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 78% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Half of US adults named Alyssa are older than 29. Most are between 19 and 46.