View Message

It was never over-popular here, but it's always been over-sweet (appropriate in view of the meaning, I suppose). I think it needs a good squeeze of lemon juice. And I'm haunted by the dread that someone, somewhere, took innocent twin girls and named them Melissa and Deborah - the contrast is like running out of a sauna into the snow.

This message was edited 6/6/2012, 6:13 AM

It's pretty bland in my book. Not because the name itself is ugly or anything, I've simply known too many to get a good feel on the name.

---

I would even go as far as to say it is too 90s. It's not the worst name out there, though.

I think Melissa is a nice name. I did hear it quite a bit at school, but I can't say I've ever actually known more than a few. The "Mel" component adds richness and is substantial enough to temper the "issa" sound for me (which I often don't care for much, excepting Clarissa, a family name), but what really keeps the name in the "like" category is it's meaning which, for me, has very positive associations and brings up lovely imagery. I don't consider it too dated at all. :)

It's dated, no doubt about it. But I hate it because it tries too hard. That ISSA sound just tries so hard to be so pretty that it really grates on my nerves. Melissa is a name that makes me smirk.

I like it. I have met a lot of people named Melissa, so I wouldn't use it myself, but if you don't know many or don't care about it being popular among people in their 20s-40s, I say go ahead and use it.

---

It sounds close enough to names that are still popular, such as Alyssa, that it doesn't strike me as all that dated sounding.

I love Melissa. I would definitely consider using it. The youngest Melissa I know of is about eight or nine.

This name was used SO MUCH when I was a kid, I can't attach a specific image or personality to the name...and that's saying a lot, because I often have vivid images attached to names. It's very boring to me, and I'm glad it died out.