Given name & surname · also Scandinavian
Nissa
“a friendly elf”·“one who tests others”
Nissa is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a friendly elf” and “one who tests others”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a friendly elf” and “one who tests others”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Scandinavian and Hebrew naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nissa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,532
- 0 boys · 1,532 girls
- Most popular year
- 1974
- 68 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #16,610 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 16,610 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 68 in 1974. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,443 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.
Nissa’s family of names
Nissa has a related form in Nyssa. Nissa has a related form in Nysa. Nissa has a related form in Nissah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Nissa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kiva
“protected by God”
5% boys · 95% girls
Shelah
“missionary” · “emissary”
>99% girls
Tiria
“reverence” · “fear”
>99% girls
Shawna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Tanita
“princess”
>99% girls
Susannah
“resembling a graceful white lily”
>99% girls
Mirjana
Mirjana is a feminine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Serbo-Croatian.
>99% girls
Shoshannah
“resembling a graceful white lily”
>99% girls