Fun Facts About the Name Anyssa
- More than 2 thousand babies named Anyssa: U.S. records list 2,090 babies given the name Anyssa from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Anyssa Mean?
Anyssa is mainly an English spelling variant of Anissa, which comes from Anna. Anna is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew name Hannah (חַנָּה), built on a root meaning "to show favor" or "to be gracious." The customary English meaning, "grace," reflects that root rather than a word-for-word translation of the Hebrew.
A separate name, Arabic Anisa (أنيسة), means "friendly" or "companionable," from a root meaning "to be sociable." Since Arabic names are written in English in more than one way, Anyssa is occasionally used for Anisa too. That is an independent origin, not a shared one with Anna. Anyssa also should not be merged with the similar-looking Alyssa, which comes from a Germanic name meaning "noble" and has no etymological connection to Anna.
Anyssa Name History & Origins
Hannah appears in the Hebrew Bible as the mother of the prophet Samuel. The Greek form Anna is used in the New Testament for the prophetess who recognizes the infant Jesus in the temple (Luke 2), and that form passed through Latin into the European languages as Anna. In English, Anna and Anne have been common since the Middle Ages, a use encouraged by Christian devotion to Saint Anne, the mother of Mary in tradition.
Anissa is a later form of Anna with an added -iss- syllable. Anyssa keeps the same pronunciation but replaces the i of Anissa with y, a respelling that has become common in American English given names. The name therefore carries no separate etymology of its own; its meaning and history are those of Anna and, behind it, Hannah.
In Arabic-speaking communities, Anisa is a distinct given name with its own history, and the English spelling Anyssa may represent it. The two traditions are not related, and the spelling by itself does not indicate which one is intended.
How Popular is the Name Anyssa?
Anyssa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1994. Its best rank was #1,259 in 1994.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,033 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #8,463 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #9,038 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #8,586 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #12,331 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #6,657 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #5,626 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #6,548 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #6,559 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #6,928 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #4,866 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #5,819 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #4,249 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #4,304 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2011 | #4,692 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #4,872 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #3,417 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 2008 | #3,022 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2007 | #2,716 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2006 | #2,985 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 2005 | #2,059 | 91 | 0.0049% |
| 2004 | #1,796 | 106 | 0.0058% |
| 2003 | #1,581 | 122 | 0.0067% |
| 2002 | #1,585 | 117 | 0.0065% |
| 2001 | #1,958 | 88 | 0.0049% |
| 2000 | #1,505 | 122 | 0.0067% |
| 1999 | #1,462 | 118 | 0.0067% |
| 1998 | #1,668 | 96 | 0.0054% |
| 1997 | #1,618 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 1996 | #1,843 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 1995 | #1,338 | 123 | 0.0070% |
| 1994 | #1,259 | 136 | 0.0076% |
| 1993 | #1,352 | 122 | 0.0067% |
| 1992 | #2,551 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1991 | #4,067 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1990 | #3,438 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1989 | #8,093 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #6,822 | 10 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Anyssa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Anyssa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Anyssa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.