Alessia

About Alessia

Alessia is an Italian feminine name in the Alexius family, with Greek roots associated with defending or helping. It combines a soft opening vowel with a clear double s and a flowing final ia. Singer Alessia Cara and footballer Alessia Russo have made this Italian form familiar to audiences well beyond Italy.

Meaning and related names

Alessia is the feminine counterpart of Alessio and corresponds to the older name Alexius. Alexius is a Latinized form of Greek Alexios, related to Alexis and the verb alexō, “to defend” or “to help.” “Defender” is a natural concise meaning for the name.

Alexia and Alexis belong to the same family. Alessia's Italian spelling changes the x of the older forms into ss, as also happens in Alessio. That relationship is closer than a resemblance based only on a shared ending.

In Italian, Alessia is approximately ah-LESS-yah, with three syllables and stress on the middle one. The double s is pronounced distinctly, and the final ia can run together more closely than an English spelling-out of the vowels might suggest.

The masculine Alessio and feminine Alessia retain the same opening and stressed syllable. Their final vowels distinguish the two established Italian forms.

Alessia Cara

Canadian singer and songwriter Alessia Cara emerged with “Here” in 2015, followed by the album Know-It-All. Her earlier musical activity included posting cover performances on a YouTube channel she began at thirteen.

Her recordings brought together intimate songwriting and a wider pop audience. “Scars to Your Beautiful” addressed body image, while collaborations included “Stay” with Zedd and “1-800-273-8255” with Logic and Khalid.

At the 2018 Grammy Awards she won Best New Artist. She received four nominations that year, including recognition for those collaborations, but Best New Artist was the award she won.

Her work also included recording “How Far I'll Go” for Disney's Moana. In 2019, Canada's Walk of Fame recognized her with the Allan Slaight Music Impact Honour, adding a Canadian distinction to her international recording success.

Alessia Russo

Alessia Russo is an England footballer whose backheel against Sweden became a memorable moment of UEFA Women's EURO 2022. England were already leading when her first shot was saved; she reacted to the loose ball by sending it backward through the goalkeeper's legs.

The goal came in the semifinal, which England won 4–0. The team went on to beat Germany in the final and win the tournament.

Russo had received her first senior England call-up in 2020. She was also part of the squad that retained the European title in 2025. Her football career has therefore brought the name before spectators in successive international tournaments, alongside its musical visibility through Cara.

American popularity

Alessia reached its largest annual female count in the United States in 2024, with 1,122 births and a ranking of #282. In 2025, 937 girls received the exact spelling, at #326. Those recent figures place it within the American top four hundred while preserving its Italian form.

How popular is Alessia?

In 2025, Alessia ranked #326 among girls in the United States, with 937 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1967; its largest annual count was 1,122 in 2024. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.