Given name

Merissa

“woman of the sea”

In English use, Merissa has a related form in Marissa. One Latin interpretation is “woman of the sea.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

In English use, Merissa has a related form in Marissa. One Latin interpretation is “woman of the sea.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

In English use, Merissa has a related form in Marissa. An origin associated with Marissa is Latin.

Explained through its name family

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Merissa through the years

Babies since 1880
3,412
0 boys · 3,412 girls
Most popular year
1995
172 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−100%
Cooling
0255075100198020002025Highest share 19950.0
Merissa in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1962–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2019. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 172 in 1995. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,035 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.

Merissa’s family of names

In English usage, Merissa has a related form in Marissa.

Walk Merissa’s family in the name graph

MerissaMeryssaMerissahMarissaMerrissaMarisa

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 2

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 1

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

People named Merissa

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Merissa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Modern

Fushia

“resembling the flower”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Modern

Araxi

“from the river of inspiration”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Modern

Laryn

“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

American · Modern

Butterfly

Butterfly is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “resembling a beautiful and colorful winged insect.”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Modern

Aylena

“from the oak tree”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Modern

Yasmeen

“resembling the jasmine flower”

41UncommonSteady

>99% girls

African · Modern

Ayanna

“one who is innocent” · “resembling a beautiful flower”

45UncommonEasing

>99% girls

Modern

Brinli

“from the burnt meadow”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Merissa’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Merissa

A sister for Merissa