Girl

Clarissa

kluh-RIS-uh

Rare & Uncommon ✦ Vintage

✦ Meaning

“From Latin 'clarus' meaning 'bright' or 'clear.' Famous from Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Clarissa, representing virtue and intellectual depth.”

Popularity Over Time

Clarissa US popularity rank over timeRank 1161 in 2023 to rank 237 in 1994. Lower rank numbers are more popular.#237#699#11611900192019401960198020002024

Clarissa is not currently in the US top 1000.

Origin

Latin

Syllables

3

Nicknames

ClaraClariseRissa

Style

LiteraryClassicElegantVintageTimeless

Famous Bearers

  • Clarissa from the novel Clarissa
  • Clarissa Explains It All (TV character)

Collections

Literary Names → Beautiful But Not Top 100 → Old Money Names → Vintage Revival →

Similar Names

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Rosalind

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Cross-Cultural Notes

Latin-derived; works across Western cultures

People Also Ask

From Latin 'clarus' meaning 'bright' or 'clear.' Famous from Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Clarissa, representing virtue and intellectual depth.

Clarissa is not currently in the US top 1000, making it a genuinely rare choice. It's making a comeback as part of the vintage name wave.

Popular nicknames for Clarissa include Clara, Clarise, Rissa.

Names that pair beautifully with Clarissa include Rosalind, Imogen, Beatrix, Isadora, Cordelia.