Gender Feminine
Scripts Μέλισσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. mə-LIS-ə(English) MEH-LEES-SA(Classical Greek)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Means "bee" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius [2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1516 poem Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps Ruggiero escape from the witch Alcina. As an English given name, Melissa has been used since the 18th century.

Related Names

VariantsMelyssa(English) Melitta(Ancient Greek)
DiminutivesLissa, Malinda, Mel, Melina, Melinda, Mindy, Missie, Missy, Melantha(English)
Other Languages & CulturesMelisa(Albanian) Melisa(Azerbaijani) Melisa(Bosnian) Mélissa(French) Melitta(German) Melika(Hawaiian) Melinda, Melissza(Hungarian) Melisa(Spanish) Melis, Melisa(Turkish)
Same SpellingMélissa

People think this name is

formal   natural   wholesome   refined  

Name Days

Austria: September 15
Finland: May 5
Norway: July 13

Images

Honey beeHoney bee ©

Categories

Sources & References

Entry updated May 29, 2020