Missy
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Meaning
“A nickname-style name, often a pet form of Melissa; famously borne by Missy Giove, the fearless 1994 downhill mountain bike world champion.”
The formal names behind Missy
Missy is an established short form of each of these names.
Melissa · Greek origin · honey bee
Millicent · Germanic origin · strong in work
How popular is Missy around the world?
In the United States, 101 babies were named Missy between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Missy in 2017.
Missy is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, England and Wales and Brazil.
United States
1 in 220,000
In the United States, 101 babies were named Missy between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Missy peaked in the 1960s and the 1970s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Missy in 2017.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 59,000
In England and Wales, 10 girls named Missy were born in 2025, ranked 2,605th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Brazil
At the 2022 census, 22 people in Brazil were named Missy, ranked 116,443rd, with a median age of 2.
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Canada
last on record 2023
Missy is not on the 2024 record for Canada, where names under 5 in a year are excluded at source.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
last on record 2014
Missy is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Missy
People given the name Missy in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1960 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Missy deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Missy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Missy fits with your family’s names and surname.
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