Agathe vs Melissa
Agathe and Melissacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2021, Agathe was ranked #5581 and Melissa #254 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Agathe was ranked #454 and Melissa #268 among girls in Norway.
Agathe and Melissa over time
Agathe and Melissa appear together in 2 published lists, across 56 years of shared records. Melissa held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Agathe in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Agathe and Melissa were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 41 years, from 1974 to 2025, ending at #454 and #268.
List by list
Norway · Girls41 shared years, 1974–2025
Agathe held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Melissa in 39.
Highest recorded here: Agathe #270 in 2006, Melissa #141 in 2012.
The order changed in 1979: Melissa moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #447 and #565; by 1979 that had become #608 and #326.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Agathe #454, Melissa #268.
England and Wales · Girls15 shared years, 1996–2021
Agathe held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Melissa in 15.
Highest recorded here: Agathe #2901 in 2018, Melissa #46 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Agathe #5581, Melissa #254.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Agathe | Melissa |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Means 'bee' in Greek. Borne in mythology by a daughter of Procles and used as an epithet for various nymphs and priestesses; appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem Orlando Furioso. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /mə.ˈlɪs.ə/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #454 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #173 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Melissa has a recorded origin (Greek); Agathe does not have one recorded yet.
- Agathe and Melissa both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Melissa; Agathe doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Agathe
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #524 among girls in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1968–2025
Highest recorded position: #270 among girls in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1968–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #454 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Melissa
Popularity journey
First recorded1962
First recorded at #78 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1962 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1962–2000
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1977 (recorded 1962–2000).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #268 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls