How Many People Are Named Melisa?
An estimated 17,450 people in the United States have the first name Melisa. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 43 years old, and Melisa peaked in popularity in 1979 with 661 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Melisa as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Melisa paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
17,450
About 1 in 19,642 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
99.9% confidence
Average Age
43
years old
Peak Year
1979
661 births
Total Registered
19,064
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Melisa
Melisa is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 19,064 total births registered, 99.9% were female.
Melisa as a male name
Ranked #6,499 in 1977
5 male births in 1977
Peak: 1972 (5 births)
Melisa as a female name
Ranked #3,064 in 2024
53 female births in 2024
Peak: 1979 (661 births)
Melisa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 18,912 people with the first name Melisa, which placed it at #1,658 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Melisa was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 18,912 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.1% were male and 99.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.9% of the time.
Census Count
18,912
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,658
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
6.26
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Melisa was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (54.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (33.67%) and Black (5.57%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Melisa in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Melisa.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 54.67% | 10,340 |
| Hispanic | 33.67% | 6,368 |
| Black | 5.57% | 1,053 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.83% | 536 |
| Two or More Races | 2.74% | 519 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.51% | 96 |
Melisa: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Melisa span from the 1940s to the 2020s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 5,900 babies were registered. Melisa has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Melisa by Decade
How has Melisa tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Melisa by State
Birth registrations for Melisa span all 46 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, North Dakota, District of Columbia. On average, about 346 Melisas were registered per state.
Melisa + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Melisa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Melisa
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Melisa: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melisa?
We estimate approximately 17,450 people named Melisa are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 19,642 Americans share this first name.
Is Melisa a common name?
Melisa is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 19,064 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Melisa most popular?
Melisa reached peak popularity in 1979, when 661 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Melisa is approximately 43 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Melisa in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 18,912 people with the first name Melisa. That placed it at #1,658 in the published Census first-name tables, or 6.26 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Melisa was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Melisa?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Melisa was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.1% male and 99.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Melisa?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Melisa was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (54.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (33.67%) and Black (5.57%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Melisa a female name?
Melisa is predominantly female. 99.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Melisa have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Melisa peaked in 1979, and the average living bearer is about 43 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Melisa Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Melisa Smith, Melisa Johnson, Melisa Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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