Elissa is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Elissa means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Elissa across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Elissa has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Elissa is a girl name of Phoenician origin meaning “of uncertain meaning”. Another name for Dido, the founder of Carthage, also linked to Elizabeth.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 18,033 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,728 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 88 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 25 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Elissa per year, United States (1914 to 2025). United States peaked in 1979 (408/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (114/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2015 (9/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1982 (4/yr).
Elissa has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1979, when it ranked #880 nationally (given to 411 babies that year).
Elias · Alyssa · Elsie · Alicia · Eloise · Eliza · Elise · Ellis
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