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Ellyssa
How to Pronounce Ellyssa
Pronounced eh-LISS-uh /ɛˈlɪsə/Medium
Meaning: Ellyssa reads as a doubled-l respelling of Alyssa, itself from the alyssum flower whose Greek name means without madness, with an echo of Elissa, the Phoenician name for Queen Dido. The meaning follows the parent names rather than standing alone.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Ellyssa is best understood as an ornamental respelling of Alyssa, the blossom name from Greek alysson, blended with the classical Elissa, an old byname for Dido of Carthage. It surfaced in American records in the late 1980s as parents reshaped the fashionable Alyssa, and it remained scarce, reaching only a couple dozen girls a year at its high near 2011.
Given mainly to girls born around the turn of the millennium, Ellyssa now belongs to a young-adult cohort. It rides the long Alyssa wave rather than any vintage revival, and parents drawn to the sound overwhelmingly still choose the standard spelling.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Ellyssa mean?
It is a respelling of Alyssa, from the alyssum flower, blended with Elissa, an old name for Dido of Carthage.
How do you pronounce Ellyssa?
It's said eh-LISS-uh /ɛˈlɪsə/, three syllables.
Is Ellyssa a boy or girl name?
Ellyssa is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Ellyssa?
It has always been rare, an Alyssa respelling given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak in the early twenty-tens, and never common.