Ingelin vs Melissa
Ingelin 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.
Norway · Girls
In 2021, Ingelin was ranked #478 and Melissa #192 among girls in Norway.
Ingelin and Melissa over time
Ingelin and Melissa appear together in 1 published list, across 43 years of shared records. Melissa held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ingelin 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.
Ingelin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Melissa in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ingelin and Melissa changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1964 and 2021, ending at #478 and #192.
- Longest-running competitions
Ingelin and Melissa were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 43 years, from 1964 to 2021, ending at #478 and #192.
List by list
Norway · Girls43 shared years, 1964–2021
Ingelin held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Melissa in 35.
Highest recorded here: Ingelin #269 in 1995, Melissa #141 in 2012.
The order changed in 1984: Melissa moved ahead. In 1983 they stood at #388 and #398; by 1984 that had become #603 and #291.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ingelin #478, Melissa #192.
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 | Ingelin | 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 | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #478 (2021) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #173 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Melissa has a recorded origin (Greek); Ingelin does not have one recorded yet.
- Ingelin and Melissa both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Melissa; Ingelin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Ingelin
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #405 among girls in Norway in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1960–2021
Highest recorded position: #269 among girls in Norway, in 1995 (recorded 1960–2021).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #478 among girls in Norway, in 2021.
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