Marissa
Marissa was the 1679th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 123 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 53rd with 6,246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,143 places. More babies were named Marissa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning Maria + Lisa (or Luisa) · Spanish, Italian
Say it muh-RISS-uh /məˈɹɪsə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,679 girls, down 596 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 123girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19946,246 babies
- Total since 1880
- 121,112babies recorded
What does the name Marissa mean?
Marissa is, according to Wiktionary, a contraction of Maria Lisa or Maria Luisa, as with the Spanish and Italian Marisa, though it is sometimes reinterpreted as related to Latin maris 'of the sea'. Maria is the Latin form of Mary; Lisa is from Elizabeth and Luisa from Louise. Marissa became very popular in the US in the 1980s and 1990s.
María + Luisa / Lisa (Spanish / Italian, “Mary + Louise / Elizabeth”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Other explanations you may read: From Latin maris 'of the sea'.
Related names: Marisa, Marisol, Maria, Lisa.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Marissa', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Marissa
The usual nicknames for Marissa are Rissa.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rissa · also for Clarissa | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Marissas go by each one.
Marissa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 270 since 1975.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,679 | 123 |
| 2020 | #1,083 | 228 |
| 2010 | #202 | 1,532 |
| 2000 | #78 | 4,025 |
| 1990 | #87 | 3,806 |
| 1980 | #193 | 1,403 |
| 1970 | #631 | 263 |
| 1960 | #1,134 | 92 |
| 1950 | #4,585 | 7 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Marissa, counting every spelling?
Marissa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,343 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,679 for Marissa on its own. Together these spellings went to 148 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marissa | 123 | #1,679 | 777 |
| Marisa | 25 | #5,178 | 185 |
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 Marissa?
123 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Marissa (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Marissa 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 68 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Marissa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Marissa?
About 118,200 people born in the US named Marissa are alive today, with a median age of 30; half are between 24 and 36. That makes Marissa mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Marissa by state
How common Marissa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (1.6×), Arizona (1.6×). In 33 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 Marissa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Marissa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Marissa · Sibling names for Marissa
Questions about the name Marissa
What does Marissa mean?
Marissa means “Maria + Lisa (or Luisa)” (Spanish, Italian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Marissa?
Marissa was the 1679th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 123 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 53rd with 6,246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,143 places. More babies were named Marissa in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Marissa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Marissa in the US.
Where is Marissa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Marissa was most common in Texas (0.15 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arizona and California.