Given name
Clarissa
“fame”
Clarissa links a medieval form of Clarice with one of the eighteenth century’s best-known fictional heroines.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Clarissa is a Latinate form of Clarice. One Latin interpretation is “fame.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Clarissa is a Latinate form of Clarice. An origin associated with Clarice is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Clarissa is used as a form of Clarice.
The story
Clarissa occurs in medieval documents, so its story begins before the novel. Samuel Richardson revived it for the central character of Clarissa, published in 1748.
Clarissa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 40,505
- 21 boys · 40,484 girls
- Most popular year
- 1995
- 1,201 babies
- 2025
- 212
- #1,114 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 212 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,114 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 40.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,201 in 1995. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (57). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,186 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clarissa’s family of names
In Filipino usage, Clarissa has a diminutive in ISAY. In Italian usage, Clarissa developed from the English form Clarice. In Spanish usage, Clarissa has a related form in Clarisa.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Clarissa has relatives in 7 languages.
9 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Clarissa
- Clarissa Pinkola EstésAmerican psychoanalyst and writerborn 1945
- Clarissa WardAmerican journalistborn 1980
- Clarissa ChunAmerican sport wrestlerborn 1981
- Clarissa dos SantosBrazilian basketball player (born 1988)
- Clarissa AllenAmerican author and educator (1859-1941)
- Clarissa DavisAmerican basketball player (born 1967)
- Clarissa Dickson WrightEnglish celebrity chef, television personality, businesswoman and formerly a barrister (1947-2014)
- Clarissa MolinaDominican model and actressborn 1991
- Clarissa SelwynneBritish actress (1886-1948)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clarissa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alissa
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
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Silvia
“a woodland dweller”
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Mireya
“one who is worthy of admiration”
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Bianca
“a shining, fair-skinned woman”
>99% girls