Entry № 322 · Greek origin

Alyssa Alyssa — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ ah-LIS-ah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Greek
Meaning
"Rational / sweet alyssum (Alyssa Milano, Charmed; Alyssa Healy)"
Syllables
3
Rank · US 2025
№ 280
First recorded
Modern (English)

A name that means "rational / sweet alyssum (alyssa milano, charmed; alyssa healy)".

Alyssa is a 20th-century English elaboration of Alice combined with the Greek botanical Alyssum — "sweet alyssum," a delicate white-flowering plant believed by the ancient Greeks to cure madness (its name is from a- not + lyssa, rage). A top-20 US baby name from 1992 to 2009, peaking at #10 in 2003. Alyssa Milano (born 1972) — *American actress and activist; child star as Samantha on ABC's Who's the Boss? (1984-1992); played Phoebe Halliwell on The WB's Charmed (1998-2006) for eight seasons — at the time the longest-running US show with all female leads. In October 2017 her tweet "if you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply" reignited the #MeToo movement that activist Tarana Burke had launched in 2006. Time 100 Most Influential People (2018, alongside Burke). Alyssa Healy (born 1990) — Australian cricketer; captain of the Australian women's national cricket team; Player of the Match in two ICC Women's T20 World Cup finals (2018, 2020) and the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup final — the most-decorated batter in international women's cricket of her era. Alyssa EdwardsRuPaul's Drag Race. Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings, Evil Dead Rise*).

Featured throughout 1990s-2020s American culture.

Rational. Alyssa Milano's October 2017 #MeToo tweet reignited the movement Tarana Burke launched in 2006.

The name in its native script.

Alyssa
Transliteration
Alyssa
Pronunciation
/ əˈlɪs.ə /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Alyssa stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 280 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 10 in 2003
Babies named Alyssa · last year
1075 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1980
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #10 NOW · #280

Alyssas before her.

Real people
Alyssa Milano
American actress and activist.
born 1972
Alyssa Healy
Australian cricket captain.
born 1990
In fiction
Phoebe Halliwell
Charmed.
1998

Names connected to Alyssa.

The number behind Alyssa.

9

The Humanitarian

Alyssa reduces to nine — the number of #MeToo.

Why families chose this name.

"Milano's reason. Six letters. Alyssa."
Catherine · Mother of one · Brooklyn