Melissa vs Tyla
Melissa and Tylacompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2002, Melissa was ranked #69 and Tyla #96 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Melissa was ranked #280 and Tyla #2771 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2018, Melissa was ranked #361 and Tyla #434 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Melissa and Tyla over time
Melissa and Tyla appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Melissa held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Tyla in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Melissa reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Tyla 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Melissa #46 in 1996, Tyla #522 in 1998.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls27 shared years, 1996–2024
Melissa held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Tyla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Melissa #46 in 1996, Tyla #522 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Melissa #280, Tyla #2771.
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 | Melissa | Tyla |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /mə.ˈlɪs.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #173 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #2771 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Melissa has a recorded origin (Greek); Tyla does not have one recorded yet.
- Melissa has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Tyla.
- A meaning is recorded for Melissa; Tyla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, NZ.
How each name got here
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
Tyla
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #753 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2000–2002
Highest recorded position: #85 among girls in New Zealand, in 2000 (recorded 2000–2002).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2771 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls