# Clarissa (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/clarissa/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /kləˈɹɪsə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Clarisa |
| US babies named this | 40,505 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 21 / 40,484 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 855, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Italian Clarissa, from Medieval Latin Clarissa; see there for more. Popularized in English by Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel Clarissa. Doublet of Clarisse.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 479 | 598 |
| 2012 | 453 | 632 |
| 2013 | 396 | 705 |
| 2014 | 364 | 768 |
| 2015 | 408 | 697 |
| 2016 | 455 | 646 |
| 2017 | 431 | 680 |
| 2018 | 372 | 745 |
| 2019 | 378 | 747 |
| 2020 | 287 | 911 |
| 2021 | 278 | 949 |
| 2022 | 246 | 1,039 |
| 2023 | 209 | 1,158 |
| 2024 | 207 | 1,161 |
| 2025 | 212 | 1,114 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 6 | 5,919 |
| 1989 | 5 | 8,096 |
| 1990 | 5 | 8,336 |
| 1994 | 5 | 9,037 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 20 | 1,489 |
| 2012 | 25 | 1,297 |
| 2013 | 32 | 1,098 |
| 2014 | 17 | 1,702 |
| 2015 | 29 | 1,168 |
| 2016 | 29 | 1,172 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,457 |
| 2018 | 20 | 1,526 |
| 2019 | 23 | 1,349 |
| 2020 | 17 | 1,687 |
| 2021 | 16 | 1,785 |
| 2022 | 17 | 1,685 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2,689 |
| 2024 | 19 | 1,603 |
| 2025 | 23 | 1,362 |

## People named Clarissa

- Clarissa Pinkola Estés, American psychoanalyst and writer
- Clarissa Ward, American journalist
- Clarissa Chun, American sport wrestler
- Clarissa dos Santos, Brazilian basketball player (born 1988)
- Clarissa Allen, American author and educator (1859-1941)
- Clarissa Davis, American basketball player (born 1967)
- Clarissa Eden, British countess and memoirist (1920–2021)
- Clarissa Dickson Wright, English celebrity chef, television personality, businesswoman and formerly a barrister (19
- Clarissa Burt, American actress
- Clarissa Selwynne, British actress (1886-1948)
- Clarissa Molina, Dominican model and actress
- Clarissa Munger Badger, American botanical artist (1806–1889)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.