Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Lyssa?
Births per year, rank history and how many Lyssas are alive today.
Lyssa (female) is a shortened form of the name Melissa. Lyssa itself was last registered for 3 babies in 2019; most Lyssas are registered as Melissa, which ranked 321st in 2025 with 136 babies.
Most people called Lyssa are registered as Melissa, and share that name's profile: the Melissa you are most likely to meet is around 32 years old. Half of all Melissas born in England and Wales are between 24 and 37, and there are at least 28,000 of them alive today. Only some Melissas go by Lyssa.
How many babies are named Lyssa or Melissa each year?
Combined registrations of Melissa, Lyssa. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Melissa rank as a registered name?
Where does Lyssa rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Lyssa short for Melissa?
Yes - Lyssa is a shortened form of Melissa. Lyssas are usually registered as Melissa at birth.
When was the name Lyssa most popular?
The full name Melissa peaked in 1994, when around 1,500 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Lyssa itself peaked as a registered name in 2008, with 5 babies.
How many people are called Lyssa?
There's no official count of people who go by Lyssa, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 28,000 people registered as Melissa born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Lyssa.
How old is the typical Lyssa?
Most people called Lyssa are registered as Melissa. Most living Melissas are between 24 and 37; the most common age is about 32.
Is Lyssa becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1994 peak.