Alyssa
Alyssa is a feminine given name with multiple origins. Alysa is an alternative spelling.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Alyssa
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Alyssa is a feminine given name with multiple origins. Alysa is an alternative spelling.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Alyssa
American parents first put Alyssa on the record books as a baby girl name in 1950, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1999, when 14,036 Alyssas were born — ranking #11 that year. About 37% of every Alyssa on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Alyssa ranks #479 for baby girls with 639 births, falling sharply (-51%). All told, over 315K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Alyssa
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Alyssa. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Alyssa
Phonetically similar names — useful when Alyssa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alyssa
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How popular is Alyssa in 2026?
When was Alyssa most popular?
In which U.S. states is Alyssa most popular?
Is Alyssa a unisex name?
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About the name Alyssa
Alyssa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1950 and has accumulated 315K births in the dataset. Alyssa's peak popularity came in 1999 when it ranked #11. Use the chart and map above to compare Alyssa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1999 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.