Home › Baby Names Directory › Jeleesa
Jeleesa
How to Pronounce Jeleesa
Pronounced juh-LEE-sah /dʒəˈliː.sə/Medium
Meaning: Jeleesa is a coined American given name built with a Je- opening and the popular -eesa/-issa ending seen in names like Alyssa and Larissa; no independent root meaning is documented for it.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
Jeleesa is best read as a coined name built from a Je- opening and the -eesa ending shared with Alyssa and Larissa. Its timing lines up closely with the character Jaleesa Vinson-Humphrey on the popular 1980s sitcom A Different World, a plausible cultural spark for the name.
Jeleesa was never common, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak around 1988, and it faded from records by 1992. It reads today as a distinctly late-1980s American name.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Jeleesa…
Explore names like Jeleesa
Frequently Asked
What does the name Jeleesa mean?
It is a coined American name built from a Je- opening and the popular -eesa ending; it has no independent root meaning.
How do you pronounce Jeleesa?
It is said juh-LEE-sah /dʒəˈliː.sə/, three syllables with the stress on the second.
Is Jeleesa a boy or girl name?
Jeleesa is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Jeleesa?
It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak in the late 1980s.