Home › Baby Names Directory › Elyssa
Elyssa
Pronounced ə-LIS-ə /əˈlɪs.ə/High
Meaning: Variant of Elissa, the Phoenician name of Dido, legendary founder-queen of CarthageMedium
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
Elyssa carries two intertwined stories. The ancient one belongs to Elissa, the Tyrian princess remembered as Dido, who fled Phoenicia and founded the city of Carthage in legend around 814 BC. The modern one belongs to Alyssa, a twentieth-century favorite drawn from the sweet alyssum flower, whose Greek name was taken to mean 'without madness' because the plant was thought to cure rabies.
Spellings of this sound multiplied as Alyssa surged in late twentieth-century America — Alissa, Elissa, Elyssa, Ilyssa — each with its own slight flavor. The E- and y-spelling reads as the most distinctive of the set and has always been the rarest.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Elyssa…
Explore names like Elyssa
Frequently Asked
What does the name Elyssa mean?
Elyssa is a variant of Elissa, the Phoenician name of Dido, legendary queen of Carthage; it also works as a spelling of Alyssa, tied to the alyssum flower.
How do you pronounce Elyssa?
It's said ə-LIS-ə /əˈlɪs.ə/ — three syllables, stress on the second.
Is Elyssa a boy or girl name?
Elyssa is a girl's name.
How popular is Elyssa?
Elyssa is a rare spelling in the U.S., much less common than Alyssa.