Clarisa
Clarisa was the 5758th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 21 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 665th with 323 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,006 places. More babies were named Clarisa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Clarissa) "bright, clear" · Latin, Italian
- Rank in 2025
- #5,758 girls, up 939 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 21girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1994323 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,193babies recorded
What does the name Clarisa mean?
Clarisa is a spelling of Clarissa, pronounced the same way, so it shares Clarissa's meaning and origin.
Clarissa is a Latin and Italian name based on clara, "clear, bright", the name of Saint Clare of Assisi; the related French forms are Clarisse and Clarice. DMNES glosses Clarice as "shining, gleaming". Wiktionary credits its popularity in English to Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel Clarissa. It was most popular in the US in the 1990s.
clara (Latin, “clear, bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Clarice, Clara, Clare, Clarisse.
See also: Latin names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Clarissa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Clara', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Clarice', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Clarissa (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Clarisa popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,758 | 21 |
| 2020 | #6,697 | 17 |
| 2010 | #3,262 | 50 |
| 2000 | #2,110 | 77 |
| 1990 | #2,467 | 49 |
| 1980 | #2,222 | 45 |
| 1970 | #3,326 | 19 |
| 1960 | #3,535 | 13 |
| 1950 | #4,829 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #3,719 | 7 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Clarisa, counting every spelling?
Clarisa is a spelling of Clarissa, a name family that ranked #957 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,758 for Clarisa on its own. Together these spellings went to 253 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarissa | 212 | #1,114 | 1,152 |
| Klarissa | 20 | #6,024 | 136 |
| Clarisa | 21 | #5,758 | 72 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Clarisa?
21 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Clarisa (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Clarisa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 401 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Clarisa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Clarisa?
About 3,000 people born in the US named Clarisa are alive today, with a median age of 31; half are between 22 and 40. That makes Clarisa mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Clarisa by state
How common Clarisa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Clarisa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Clarisa, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Clarisa
What does Clarisa mean?
Clarisa is a spelling of Clarissa, which means “"bright, clear"” (Latin, Italian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Clarisa?
Clarisa was the 5758th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 21 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 665th with 323 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,006 places. More babies were named Clarisa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Clarisa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Clarisa in the US.
Where is Clarisa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Clarisa was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls).