Alyssa

Last updated

Alyssa
Sweet alyssum.jpg
Alyssa may be derived from the name of the flower alyssum
Genderfeminine
Other names
Alternative spellingAlysa, Alisa, Elissa, Alissa, Aylissa

Alyssa is a feminine given name with multiple origins. Alysa is an alternative spelling. [1]

Contents

As used in Western countries, the name is usually derived from the name of the flower alyssum. The name of the flower derives from the Greek ἀ- a- ("not") and λύσσα lyssa ("mania, rabies"); the flower was formerly thought to cure skin diseases. It shares many variants in common with the name Alice and is occasionally considered a form of that name as well. [2]

Other equivalents of Alice include Alisa and Alissa. Elissa (Arabic: اليسار / ALA-LC: Alīssār; اليسا / Alīssā; عليسا ‘Alīssā; عليسة / ‘Alīssah) are variations of the name of Queen Elissa, the founder of Carthage, used in Middle Eastern countries. [3] [4]

The name has been popular in the United States, where it ranked among the top 20 names between 2000 and 2009. The name's popularity declined steadily throughout the next decade, and by 2020 its rank had fallen to 199. [5]

Notables with the name Alyssa

Notables with the name Alysa

Fictional characters

Related Research Articles

Alexandra is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander. Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν and ἀνήρ. Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "protector of man". The name Alexandra was one of the epithets given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨, written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alexandra and its masculine equivalent, Alexander, are both common names in Greece as well as countries where Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages are spoken.

Tyson is a male given name of old French origin meaning 'high-spirited', 'fire'. It is from this that a surname arose 'son of Tyson'.

Brianna, Breanna, Briana, and Bryanna are feminine given names. Brianna is a feminine English language form of the masculine Irish language name Brian as "Briana" is the original spelling. The name is a relatively modern one and was occasionally used in England from about the 16th century and on; Briana is the name of a character in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. In recent years, the name has become increasingly popular, especially in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha</span> Name list

Samantha is a feminine given name.

Lauren is mostly a feminine given name. The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius.

Allie is a unisex given name, a nickname and, more rarely a surname. It is a diminutive form of several names beginning with Al-. It may refer to:

Alisa is a female given name, a version of Alice used in Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia and other countries. Notable people with the names Alisa and Alissa include:

Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), Latin margarīta, "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in Wales and England, and is commonly truncated to Meg.

Alana, Alanna, or Alannah is a female given name. It can be derived either from the Old High German word for "precious" or from the Irish language term "a leanbh" for "my child".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah (name)</span> Name list

Hannah spelled ', Hanna, Hana', Hanah, or Chana, is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace". A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child'. Anne, Ana, Ann, and other variants of the name derive from the Hellenized Hebrew: Anna (Ἅννα)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica (given name)</span> Name list

Jessica is a female given name.

Natalie or Nathaly is a feminine given name of English and French origin, derived from the Latin phrase natale domini, meaning "birth of the Lord". Further alternative spellings of the name include Nathalie, Natalee, and Natalia/Natalija.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler (name)</span> Name list

Tyler is a given name that is gender-neutral but predominantly male, as well as a surname.

Taylor is a unisex given name mainly in use in English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. The name Taylor also has been used for characters on American and now some Australian soap operas. Variants include Tayla and Taylah; both are feminine and most popular in Australia and New Zealand, whose non-rhotic accents mean that they are pronounced the same as "Taylor".

Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge ‘rye’ + lēah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.

Mackenzie is a unisex given name. It is derived from the Scottish surname, from the Gaelic MacCoinnich.

The name Brooke is most commonly a female given name and less commonly a male given name, also used as a surname. Other forms include Brook. The name "Brooke" is of English origin.

Kyle is an English-language given name, derived from the Scottish Gaelic surname Kyle, which is itself from a region in Ayrshire.

Courtney is a unisex given name.

References

  1. Osborn, Susan (1999). "Alyssa". What's in a Name? . Simon and Schuster. p.  27. ISBN   9780671025557.
  2. Mike Campbell. "Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Alyssa". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  3. "Al- Watan Daily's Article" (in Arabic). www.alwatan.com.sa. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
  4. "National Organization for Civil Registration (An Iranian Government Office) - Directory of Names" (in Persian). www.nocrir.com. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
  5. "Popular Baby Names". Ssa.gov. 2009-08-26. Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-04-19.