Nameling

Clarissa

Gender
Girl
Say it
kla-RIS-a
Origin
Latin
UK rank, 2025
#1,416 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,113 for girls

Clarissa is a girls' name of Latin origin, meaning “bright, clear”. In 2025 it ranked 1,416th for girls in the UK (23 babies) and 1,113th for girls in the US (212 babies).

What does Clarissa mean?

Latin: Latinate elaboration of Clara

“bright, clear”

Samuel Richardson's novel Clarissa (1748), one of the longest in English, made the name famous.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Clarissa a girl's or a boy's name?

Clarissa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 23 girls in the UK and 212 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Clarissa in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,416among girls
Babies in 2025
23about 1 in 12,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 19% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 23 girls in the UK were named Clarissa, making it the 1,416th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,780th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 81 girls.

2025 had more girls named Clarissa than any year since 2019.

Half of all the girls named Clarissa in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,362nd in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 81 in 19962025
Clarissa in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202523#1,416
202419#1,662
202310#2,640
202217#1,794
202117#1,794
202017#1,780
201925#1,368
201822#1,524
201723#1,497
201629#1,243
201532#1,160
201419#1,656
201332#1,165
201226#1,346
201121#1,518
201033#1,080
200921#1,449
200834#1,002
200722#1,327
200625#1,153
200524#1,128
200428#990
200330#916
200240#708
200132#819
200042#665
199937#704
199844#638
199771#470
199681#428

How popular is Clarissa in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,113among girls
Babies in 2025
212about 1 in 7,600 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 39% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 212 girls in the US were named Clarissa, making it the 1,113th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 911th. Its busiest year was 1995, with 1,201 girls.

Half of all the girls named Clarissa in the US since 1880 were born between 1979 and 2003, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 253 girls in the US were given Clarissa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #930, up from #1,113 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 1,201 in 19952025
Clarissa in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025212#1,113
2024207#1,160
2023209#1,158
2022246#1,039
2021278#948
2020287#911
2019378#746
2018372#745
2017431#680
2016455#645
2015408#697
2014364#768
2013396#705
2012453#632
2011479#598
2010530#550
2009499#604
2008546#563
2007644#502
2006675#469
2005737#419
2004852#367
2003808#376
2002870#343
2001952#325
2000975#326
1999975#317
19981,005#301
19971,093#266
19961,157#241
19951,201#239
19941,185#237
19931,074#258
19921,140#244
1991909#305
1990853#322
1989759#334
1988777#320
1987697#345
1986764#314
1985633#367
1984635#363
1983622#363
1982540#416
1981524#418
1980423#489
1979422#484
1978364#514
1977350#525
1976384#478
1975378#488
1974318#525
1973304#548
1972305#547
1971327#550
1970321#566
1969276#598
1968260#597
1967217#650
1966222#644
1965200#695
1964262#624
1963212#695
1962233#667
1961237#670
1960204#713
1959180#757
1958159#795
1957182#738
1956172#735
1955158#753
1954127#833
1953134#794
195299#929
1951100#913
195091#936
194988#947
194886#935
194797#897
194662#1,077
194554#1,060
194457#1,039
194362#1,006
194254#1,065
194161#942
194059#935
193960#903
193846#1,055
193741#1,116
193660#876
193546#1,018
193454#938
193349#985
193251#989
193154#941
193051#1,031
192956#959
192857#983
192762#963
192659#971
192568#895
192467#929
192367#896
192268#888
192178#837
192081#807
191979#792
191883#785
191786#752
191679#769
191568#798
191450#827
191338#852
191250#709
191136#722
191027#831
190932#706
190825#768
190728#710
190621#793
190515#968
190432#600
190321#734
190225#667
190133#530
190020#833
189923#644
189826#631
189722#660
189623#651
189522#658
189426#568
189318#687
189218#685
189118#624
189025#524
188920#567
188812#753
188717#537
188615#572
188511#658
188418#479
188317#465
188213#507
18810–
188010#547

Nicknames for Clarissa

Names like Clarissa

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Francesca Victoria Jessica Emily Serena Olivia Melissa Marina Aurora Alexandra Amanda Lucia

Other spellings of Clarissa

Clarisa Klarissa

Names related to Clarissa

Clarisse Clairissa Claryssa Clarise Klarisa Clariza

More Latin names

Oliver Leo Roman Florence Mabel Luna Nora Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian Clara Anthony Austin

Every Latin name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Clarissa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/clarissa, updated 20 October 2026.