Alyssa

A1L1Y4S1S1A1
/əˈlɪs.ə/

proper noun

A female given name from the Germanic languages, popular in the US in the 1990s and the 2000s.

OriginGermanic →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A female given name from the Germanic languages, popular in the US in the 1990s and the 2000s.

    The leading lady's name is Alyssa Aldine - I think Aldine sounds like nice people; I suppose because the Aldine editions of books are so famous.

    1916, Marion Ames Taggart, Hollyhock House: A Story for Girls, Doubleday, Page & co., page 40
    1 more example

    And throughout most of his days and nights, daydreamed about Brady's mother, liking everything about her. Particularly her name. Alyssa. Over and over, her name whispered inside his head. Alyssa. Alyssa. Beautiful.

    1978, Charlotte Vale Allen, Meet Me in Time, Island Nation Press LLC, published 1998, →ISBN, page 208

Origin

  1. Germanic
  2. EnglishAlyssa

A 20th-century invention. Possible origins: * From alyss(um) (“a plant of the genus Alyssum”) + -a. * From Alicia, of Germanic origin. * From Elissa.

More words from Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Alyssa

melissaMarissaclarissaLarissaAlissaElissamantissaNerissalyssaCharissaElyssaArtemisa
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

AlissaElissa
Cite this entry
APA

Alyssa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alyssa

MLA

“Alyssa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alyssa. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Alyssa,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alyssa.

Source: Alyssa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.