Alyssa is a girl's name that is of Hebrew origin. It means joy or great happiness. In Germany, where the name is popular it means of a noble kind. The name is frequently amongst the top 30 names in the United States and seems to be gaining in popularity all the time. When the name is used in some western countries it is also derived from the name of the flower alyssum. This flower was thought to cure skin diseases. The name is also thought to be a Spanish derivative of the name Alice, which is Alicia. The name can be spelled in different ways. Some examples of this are Alissa, Alisa and Elissa. There are a number of famous people with the first name Alyssa. Perhaps the most well known of these is the American actress Alyssa Milano. Alyssa Milano became a household name at the age of 10 when she landed the role of Samantha Micelli, the daughter of the character played by Tony Danza in the US sitcom, Who's the Boss? It was during this period that she also landed the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter in the action movie Commando. Milano later went on to star in a number of erotic thrillers and hit television series, including Charmed, Melrose Place and My Name is Earl. Other famous people with the first name Alyssa include Alyssa Erin Beckerman, a gymnast, the children's author Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and Alyssa Ashley Nichols, the American actress best known by the name Indigo. Alyssa Sutherland (an actress) and Alissa Czisny (a figure skater) are also reasonably well known.
